Game of Blood: Edge of Darkness
by uriekuki
Summary: тнє ѕυη яιѕєѕ. A kit struggles to find her place, lost in the shadow of her lineage. Three Chosen return to a home destroyed. Against them four Elementals stand. An ancient balance disturbed shifts into place. A final battle looms. dαякηєѕѕ ѕєтѕ. Sequel to Chasing the Sun.
1. Chapter One: Dawn

**¢нαρтєя σηє: ∂αωη  
** _'You were never meant to have that life. It was never supposed to be yours.'_

Warm.

The sun rose over the dark expanse of the mountain, lighting up a cold world with the gift of another day. Golden colour stretched long fingers into the darkest parts of the forests in its way, breathing life back into a dying place. Each morning felt like a whole new experience. Taking the sun for granted had been a terrible thing. Like the stars and like the moon the world thought of the sun as immortal, a never-dying orb tasked to rise each morning and fall each night.

It was not immortal. Not in the face of a darker power sucking its energy away.

A carefree breeze fiddled gingerly with the leaves, mumbled through them to carry on its gentle, cool, way. She raised her head to breathe in the smell of life. The air was fresh, carried with it the scents of forest life. She'd missed it.

"Are you thinking again?" Arrow sat down in the grass.

"Of good things," Tornheart promised with a grin. "It's warm again this morning."

He nodded, "it has been every morning since we left the city."

"No need to sound _so_ enthusiastic."

"Sorry," Arrow laughed, "I do need to appreciate it a little more, don't I?"

Tornheart hummed, tilting her head to look up at her mate. "Never know when it might disappear again."

"In my defence it didn't disappear in a flash, and it was only gone for half a day. Your Chosen did what they needed to do just in time."

"Of course they did. They didn't really have a choice in the matter," she sniffed.

He glanced down at the ground. "Did...did you know some of them would die?"

"I didn't know any of them would die. The prophecy claimed that five would be needed to defeat Crimson but in the end only two were needed," Tornheart shifted uncomfortably. "I think Icepetal still blames me a little for Littleflame's death. If I could have saved her I would have!"

"You did all you could, no one can ask anymore of you. The world is okay, Crimson is dead, the Clans are safe, you did fine," he soothed.

Tornheart pressed into his side, letting go of a long sigh. "Sometimes I wonder what would have happened if we hadn't gotten caught by RogueClan."

"It's in the past, you can't change it now." Arrow bounced to his paws, waving his tail like an excited kit, "come on cheer up! It's a lovely morning, there's plenty of prey around, and the sun is shining brightly once again. Let's go find something to hunt."

"Your forest hunting is abysmal," Tornheart pointed out slyly, sinking low into a long stretch that tugged at the weariness in her muscles.

Arrow's grin fell into a wounded pout. "We can't all be good at crawling through bushes after tiny mice."

"It's not even that hard." A bird flitted overhead, boisterous call echoing through the trees. It swooped low and perched on a branch jutting out over the two cats, fixing them with a beady eye. Thick feathers of the darkest black cloaked it.

"Do you think it's seen us?" Arrow whispered.

Tornheart snorted in disbelief, "it's looking _right at us_."

"Could think we're just part of the ground? I'm going to catch it."

She opened her mouth to tell him how much of a bad idea it was, but then shut it. When he tumbled from the tree and wounded his pride he'd figure out it was a bad idea. For now she just watched with an arched brow, stifling laughter when he slid back down the tree's trunk. His climbing was nearly as appalling as his hunting, all jerky movements and awkward positions. _Free entertainment,_ she grinned.

The bird hadn't even moved. It was just watching Arrow with its beady eyes, little head cocked to one side, intrigued by the bumbling idiot trying to sneak up the tree.

A strange sense of dread washed over Tornheart. The bird stopped being a bird. It became everyone, melting into countless tiny feline shapes, just watching, _watching_ , as danger crept ever closer. She wanted to scream at them to move, to get out of the way of the hulking shape with twisted claws and glinting fangs, but her mouth wouldn't move, and the words remained stuck in her throat.

The branch creaked under Arrow's weight, and the bird, finally realising just how much danger it was in, took to the sky with an angry screech, diving just low enough to the ground to catch its reflection in Tornheart's terrified eyes.

From a patch of bracken exploded a reddish shape, claws outstretched and reaching for the distracted bird. Inky feathers fluttered limply to the forest floor. Drops of red scattered like rain. Caged in sharp jaws the bird feebly struggled for an escape it would never get.

Tornheart sucked in a deep breath, thoroughly rattled by what she'd seen play out before her very eyes. Looking up she peered through the leaves, searching for the blue sky. _A warning? Or something else?_

"What a catch!" Arrow proclaimed loudly from where he was crouched in the tree.

"You scared it straight into me," Eaglestrike spat out a few feathers, "easiest catch I've had for a long time."

"Don't be so humble, that was the biggest leap I've ever seen you do," he grumbled.

A little shape rolled out from the bracken by Eaglestrike's paws, "you're just jealous cause you can't hunt at all."

"You know you're the second cat to remind me of that today, Sunrise," Arrow frowned. "There has to be some useless hunters to balance everything out!"

"That's what we say to make him feel better," Eaglestrike whispered to Sunrise.

Arrow lurched shakily to his paws, branch swaying under his weight, "I heard that!"

"Stop ganging up on him, he tried _really_ hard this time," Tornheart swallowed her fears. They could wait till the night's safe embrace. "At least he managed to get up the tree this time."

Grumbling under his breath, Arrow slithered ungracefully down the tree, showering a few flowers in little bits of bark. He glared at the three cats watching him with amused expressions. "I'm going to go find Icepetal, she's never this mean to me."

"That's because she's too busy being gross with Willowclaw," Sunrise stuck her tongue out. "And she's never been around to see you mess up."

"Why you little," Arrow pounced on the kit, sweeping her up in his jaws. She giggled, flailing her paws around, squeaking.

"You okay?" Eaglestrike placed the bird on the ground, looking at Tornheart in concern. "You look a little shaken up."

She shook her head, "I'm fine, guess I'm just a little nervous about what we're going to find over those mountains."

"Home." There was a soft look in Eaglestrike's eyes as he watched Arrow and Sunrise mess around, the kit fluffing up her fur till she looked like a ball of fuzz. "That's what we're going to find."

"But we've been gone so long."

"Home doesn't have a time period. Home is home," he said.

He was right. Home was home no matter how long you were away, but what it looked like and who was there, that always changed. Yet, he wouldn't be returning home as a traitor, she would. That was what separated them. That was their difference.

"I'm not going to let them think you did nothing. I'm going to make sure every Clan cat knows who saved them. When you die you'll die a hero," he promised earnestly.

 _You saved them, I just pushed you along._ But the sentiment was nice so she didn't argue the finer points. "How do you think the Clans are going to react to her?" Tornheart gestured to Sunrise.

Whilst the kit didn't act anything like her parents she did look like them. Her fur was as dark and long as Crimson's, thick and beautiful; one eye was a pure, sharp blue akin to that of a mid-leaf bare sky, the other a circle of deep red, like a drop of blood had stained it. It was hard to look at her playing with leaves, chasing tails, and see the monster that was her mother.

"They won't accept her straight away, but Sunrise is nothing like Crimson. They'll see that eventually. We just have to keep her safe and happy until then."

"You've changed," she mused, though her quiet words were lost in the overdramatic shout of pain Eaglestrike released when Sunrise thudded into his flank. He toppled over, one paw clutched over his heart, making wounded noises.

Laughing, Sunrise scrambled up his belly, perching herself a little ways up his neck to jab at his face. "You're such a wimp! I didn't even nudge you that hard."

"I'm fragile," Eaglestrike whined, "and you're so strong."

She rolled her eyes, and he pitched sideways suddenly, tossing her of his shoulder and onto the ground with a squawk. Hindlegs dangling over her head, Sunrise put all her energy into a heated glare that did little but make Eaglestrike laugh. Still glaring she flopped onto her side and lurched to her feet, stomping over to the laughing warrior.

He pressed a paw against her face when she neared, effectively stopping her in her tracks. No matter how hard she pushed or how quickly she tried to duck under his paw, Eaglestrike kept it on her face. Defeated, Sunrise slouched against his paw with a quiet mewl. "No fair, you always win."

"That's because you're too slow," he teased. "We should get back to Icepetal and Willowclaw, don't want them thinking we've gotten lost."

"It's a fair thing to assume, you _did_ get lost yesterday," Tornheart reminded.

Poking Sunrise with his nose, Eaglestrike rose clumsily to his paws. "The trees all look the same here. Do you want to take that crow back to Icepetal?" he asked Sunrise, "you might just be able to convince her that you caught it."

Her eyes lit up, "yes! You watch me, I'll convince her I caught it!"

"Come on then, before it gets a second wind and flies off."

"You'll have to teach me how to leap like that," Sunrise demanded around a mouthful of bird.

He smiled at her, "maybe when you're legs are a little stronger."

"They're plenty strong enough now," she huffed.

Arrow laughed, " _mine_ aren't even strong enough now. Give it a little while, we can learn together."

In the peace that came with listening to her talking companions, Tornheart reached deep within herself, searching for that bubble she knew all too well. It wasn't a strange anomaly anymore, wasn't something that scared her at the same time that it intrigued her. No longer did it threaten to snap out when her focus was elsewhere. It was, however, much bigger, her bubble of magic. The feeling of it swelling within her soul, marching through her veins, it was surreal, and had become a source of comfort.

When the world was dark, the sun resting till dawn, and the memories of days past came flooding back in twisted dreams, her bubble of power kept her grounded. Her power was irreplaceable, the thought of losing it haunted her darkest nights. Where would she be without it? Dead, killed by Crimson, because of her uselessness. The she-cat had admitted one night that had she not felt the slight twinge of power Tornheart had given off on that island that night, she would have killed her.

She swallowed down the panic rising up her throat. There was no point lingering on what if's and maybe's. Crimson was dead. The world was right. She had her power. She could protect her family.

Curious, Tornheart reached out her power, gingerly touching it against the hard bark of a tree, not quite sure what would happen. Sure, she could use her power to protect herself without a problem, attacking with it came naturally. Yet she hadn't had the time to explore what she was truly capable of. Half expecting the tree to burst into flames or just disappear in a cloud of ash, she was more than surprised when countless tiny buds bloomed into being; pale pink, soft as clouds, enveloping the entire tree.

There were murmurs of appreciation and awe from the others, but Tornheart was far too taken with how _beautiful_ it was to notice. She did that. The pretty flowers coating the trunk had come from her. She smiled. _Life_ , she could create _life_. All the terrible things she'd done under Crimson's watch could be balanced out.

Closing her eyes she poked gently at that bubble, feeling it almost breathe in response, and moved it, spreading it over the world around her. Tiny pink flowers sprung up everywhere, over the ground beneath their paws, up the trees and round branches creeping over their heads. A whole world of pink surrounded them, given an otherworldly glow by the sun peering through the leaves.

Sunrise pulled Eaglestrike into a game of tag among the flowers, crow discarded and forgotten in favour of rolling among the soft petals. It filled Tornheart with a strong warmth to see others happy in her creation. She could create life and those around her could enjoy it.

"It's beautiful," Arrow grinned. "You're beautiful."

For the first time in what felt like forever she truly believed him.

Icepetal and Willowclaw hadn't moved very far in the time the others had been gone. Lounging in the sun, enjoying the peace, resting comfortably in each others presence. They'd found that they didn't need to be constantly talking. Silence for them was just as comforting. Though that silence was well and truly shattered with the arrival of Sunrise, crow firmly grasped in her mouth.

"Look what I caught!" she proudly proclaimed, dumping the bundle of feathers on to Icepetal's face. She jerked it up from where it had been resting on Willowclaw's flank with an offended squawk, pinning Sunrise under a glare that freeze blood.

The kit was unaffected, far too excited with the idea of tricking Icepetal into believing that she'd caught the crow. "Look at it! I caught that!"

"Shove a feather in her mouth and tell her to come back later," Willowclaw groaned, pawing limply at Icepetal.

One brow arched, "why do _I_ have to shove it in her mouth? I'll pin her down and _you_ can do it."

"Excuse me," Sunrise huffed, "my catch is more important than you're arguing."

"Excuse me," Willowclaw mimicked, "but my sleep was more important than your catch."

Quiet growl rumbling in her throat, Sunrise pounced on Willowclaw, battering his head with her small paws. He winced and looked pleadingly at Icepetal for help. The she-cat looked to be thinking _extremely_ hard about whether she wanted to assist him or not. His pathetic attempt at sad, innocent face was what won her over.

"Okay, okay, show me this catch of yours," Icepetal snaked a paw around Sunrise and yanked the kit back onto the ground.

Smiling bright enough to rival the sun, Sunrise sunk her claws into the breast of the bird, tugging it closer. "See! Look at it!"

"It's as big as you," Icepetal pointed out skeptically. "You sure you caught it?"

"Yes! I was stalking it when Arrow scared it off, but I jumped up at the last moment and ripped it right out of the air!" The kit's tail was waving excitedly, her eyes shining.

Icepetal's expression turned from curious to fond, "sounds like it would have been an amazing catch to see...you reckon you could do it again?" There was a mischievous grin lazily making its way across Willowclaw's muzzle. He knew _exactly_ what Icepetal was up to. She whacked him with her tail.

"Yes," Sunrise answered confidently, failing to see the hole she'd just dug herself into.

"Go on then."

"What?"

Arrow failed to stifle his giggle.

"Don't laugh at me!" Sunrise frowned, "you want me to catch another bird?"

"Not right now, but you could show me the leap?" Icepetal purred, settling back down against Willowclaw.

Finally realising the mistake she made, Sunrise snapped her mouth shut with a clack. Her eyes darted from Icepetal to Eaglestrike and back, silently begging the PhoenixClan warrior to get her out of the situation she'd found herself in. Unfortunately she was on her own in this, Eaglestrike only offering an encouraging smile.

She sighed, rolled her shoulders, and flashed Icepetal a confident grin. "You want to see that leap? Fine. Just watch." Dropping into a shaky crouch she began to creep along the ground, tail brushing against the foliage around her. She reached a point where she stopped moving, bunched up the muscles in her haunches, and rocketed upwards in what looked to be a strong leap. It ended rather badly though, Sunrise upside down, tail tickling her nose.

Raucous laughter rose up from the watching Chosen. Sunrise's eartips burned with embarrassment, but she couldn't help but smile a little. Tricking Icepetal was probably harder than catching that darn crow. The SnowClan she-cat was waiting for her to join them and promptly folded the kit into her chest.

"It was a good leap," Icepetal whispered, "a little shaky, but pretty good. We'll work on it."

"Promise?" Sunrise mumbled, worming further into Icepetal's fur.

"I promise."

"Did you manage to catch anything else other than this bird?" Willowclaw growled.

Eaglestrike shook his head. "We can hunt some more on the way."

"We're leaving already?" Sunrise perked up. She peeked out from the safety of Icepetal's warm embrace, blinking her red eye curiously.

"The sooner we get moving the sooner we'll be home," Tornheart answered.

"No more sleep?" Willowclaw groaned.

"You've had plenty of sleep, you great lump," Icepetal teased.

The closer they came to the mountains that kept their homes shielded from the world, the happier and more at ease the Clanners became. Arrow and Sunrise couldn't share the feeling. One had always been at home in the claustrophobic streets of the city, whilst the other had never seen the world beyond the gray walls of Crimson's mountain. They did understand the excitement of their friends, the chance to finally be able to lay their eyes on their homes after being away from them for so long was just over the mountains.

Excitement fizzled between the Clan cats, infectious excitement that left Sunrise bouncing all over the place and Arrow chattering constantly in everyone's ears. The sound of the waterfall - the one five had plunged over moons ago - thundering just outside the line of trees sent dark memories skidding by the eyes of the Chosen; memories of a possession, a death, a resurrection, and a scream echoing into the evening air.

"It's different this time," Icepetal reminded them all, one paw placed on the grave of her mother, grown over in a thick layer of vibrant green grass. She tried to give them an encouraging smile, but it was worn, tired, exhausted. They'd been travelling, _fighting_ , for far too long and their bodies were beginning to show the strain.

She was right, however. It was different this time. They weren't tumbling down the waterfall but walking up to it, dipping their paws in the chilled water, breathing in the air that was tinged, just slightly, with the scent of home.

"Does it feel strange to be here again?" Eaglestrike mused out loud.

"A little," Willowclaw admitted, "our families are on the other side of that." He jerked his head to the wall of stone rooted firmly into the land before them.

Sunrise tilted her head, "I bet they'll be pleased to see you all."

"What makes you say that?" Icepetal's tone was cold.

"I'd miss you if you vanished." Sometimes a kits' words were the most important ones in the world.

"Come on, before we all get gray fur," Arrow laughed, splashing water at Tornheart.

 _Home._ It was a short climb away, up a curving path that cut deep into the mountain, rising up to touch the sky and greet the sun. For Icepetal it was a hard path to walk. Over the crest was a world she wasn't supposed to be a part of anymore. Exiled from her Clan, she was a loner, a rogue, unwanted. Yet here she was, walking back towards them.

Eaglestrike thought of Littleflame. He would be the one to make the journey to CedarClan. He would be the one to tell them that Littleflame was dead. He would not, however, be the one to tell them that she'd succumbed to Crimson's power, that she'd been lost to the darkness. Her Clan would know her as a hero. The Chosen would know otherwise.

Willowclaw's mind was on his secrets, the ones Eaglestrike now knew. There was a tension between the two. He expected his secrets to be revealed to the others every day. If he caught the stormy eye of Eaglestrike he would always find a sliver of hatred. He didn't try to pretend that he hadn't known what he'd been doing or what would happen because of them. He did them knowing the consequences. But _he_ wanted to be the one to tell Icepetal, to apologise to her for being the cause behind her mother's death. Eaglestrike couldn't be the one to tell her.

Tornheart just hoped someone would be willing to forgive her.

A pale plume of gray peered over the crest. More joined it.

They travellers stepped into sight of their homes expecting to see life, sweeping territories of trees and plains and sand, perhaps even the miniscule dots of Clanners patrolling, hunting, going about their lives free from Crimson. Life and warmth and _home_ , that was not what greeted them.

Ruins were.


	2. Chapter Two: Oblivion

**¢нαρтєя тωσ: σвℓινιση**

A valley of death presented itself to them. Not even the gold of the sun could spread any goodness into the valley. All the light did was illuminate the bad, the ugly, the devastation. For moons they'd dreamt of returning to a thriving home. In the space of a few heartbeats those dreams became dust, mingling with the dark ash that coated much of the world spread out before them.

Spindly trees, like bones poking through the ground, smoked in the distance, harsh smudges of a dark gray. A red hot fire burned in the far distance; SnowClan's territory. It coughed black smoke into the air, choking it, and ate away at the few patches of green left. The river that sliced through the middle of the valley, flowing around the island, moved sluggishly. Its water looked poison, murky and brown. There was no sign of life. How _could_ any life sustain itself in such ruins?

Silence, thick and heavy, weighed down on the travellers. They just couldn't believe their eyes. The valley looked like it should have after the fire that chased them away. But that had been moons ago. Surely the fire had not burned ever since? Why were there ruins where there should be life?

"I don't understand." Icepetal watched her old home burn, surprised that she even cared. "Why?"

"It's all gone," Eaglestrike breathed. The once orange expanse of sand he'd called home looked barren, the sand pushed into huge mounds, leaving cracked earth bare to the sky.

Willowclaw sat down with a thud. "We didn't kill her in time."

"You did. The time limit wasn't for the Clans, it was for the world. The world is still here. You killed her in time," Tornheart whispered.

"Then why are our homes gone?" Icepetal sounded pained. "Why is there nothing left? Why... _why_ is my home on fire?"

"I...I don't know," Tornheart admitted. She looked out over the valley she'd once called home, the one she'd given unknowingly given to Crimson, dead even though they'd done so much to save it, and felt hollow. Her saving grace, what had kept her going during the time she'd been locked up in the bowels of Crimson's mountain, was coming home and seeing it thriving. Every night she'd envisioned what it would be like to step back into her home, feel the grass underpaw, hear the soft voices of her old Clan mates, track prey through familiar trees. The reality that no such home existed hurt worse than she'd expected.

"What are we supposed to do?" Eaglestrike whispered. "Where are we supposed to go?"

"We have nowhere to go!" Icepetal cried.

"Stop." Arrow swept his tail across Icepetal's face, and then jerked his head in the direction of the ruined valley. "We go down there, we find out what happened, and we see if we can find where the Clans went; they can't have all died. Some would have escaped. We'll find them."

Sunrise smiled up at the distraught Clanners, "I want to see your homes, even if they aren't what you said they'd look like. You can just tell me what they should look like."

They clung to the frail idea that maybe, just maybe, some made it out alive. Clan cats were strong, they were born strong, they could survive anything. A fire wouldn't kill all of them. The journey back down the mountain, towards their ruined homes, was silent. Their minds were elsewhere, stuck in the memories of a time long ago when the valley was healthy, before they'd been caught in the terrible journey to save the sun.

"Stay close to us when we get down there," Arrow quietly told Sunrise. "It could be dangerous."

She gave him a surprised look. "But there's nothing down there."

"We don't know that."

The mountain path came to an end. PhoenixClan's territory began. The sand, usually baked hot by the sun, was cold. Huge mounds of it sat dormant, unstirred by the breeze. Cracked earth spread its cruel claws deep into the once bright territory, creating a desolate landscape that whispered of the hardships it had endured. The air had a chill to it.

Eaglestrike took delicate steps into his home, terrified that the ground would crumble underneath his paws if he stepped heavily. It all looked so fragile. It didn't look like the golden territory that few could survive anymore. It looked...entirely unsurvivable. He swallowed thickly. There were no scents of his Clan mates marking the border between them and the unknown, no trails worn into the sand from constant travel. To him it looked like no one had ever lived there.

He wondered, briefly, what the others thought of him. His ears were pinned flat against his skull, eyes drawn wide, face pulled into a horrified expression. He knew that fear was rolling off him in waves, but he couldn't stop it. How else was he supposed to react to the terrifying sight before him?

In the blink of an eye he was back in the camp, sitting with his father, and with his siblings, at the mouth of the underground cave. They were watching the moon track slowly higher, wispy clouds scudding across the blood-coloured circle. It was a memory of the night before his father had died, when they'd sat in companionable silence not knowing but still expecting some sort of change. His father had mentioned the heavy feeling in the air. By the next morning he was dead.

Eaglestrike's entire world lay in the cold sand he now stared blankly at. His father was buried beneath it, his mother walked it, his siblings protected it, and he'd been willing to die for it.

"Let's go. We won't find anything here," he rasped.

"Are you sure? Don't you want to check your camp?" Willowclaw said.

"There's _nothing here_ ," Eaglestrike snapped, "I don't need to go all the way to my camp to know that. The scents are so old they've faded to nothing. My Clan hasn't been here for a long time."

"Where do we go then?" Icepetal questioned.

Tornheart nodded in the direction of the middle of the valley. "To High Star Isle. We can figure out what to do when we get there."

"So...we aren't going to get to see Eaglestrike's home?" Sunrise looked devastated.

He shook his head, "I'm sorry, I can't. I can't go into my camp and see it empty, I just can't. Maybe we'll come back in a few days. I'm sorry, Sunrise."

"Oh, that's okay," she nudged his side and smiled, "I can wait."

"Let's go then," Willowclaw flicked Sunrise's head with his tail. She set off after him with an offended mewl, kicking up little clouds of dust with her paws. The warrior laughed, looking over his shoulder at the angry bundle of fur pursuing him. With Sunrise's attention elsewhere, Eaglestrike let himself hunch over in a defeated manner.

"We'll find them," Icepetal looked him straight in the eye. "We'll find all of them, even if it takes us the rest of our lives."

"Everything we did these past moons was for them. Rainpatch and Littleflame, they died for them. You nearly died for them. What if it was all for nothing? What if their deaths were meaningless?"

" _No._ Don't you _ever_ say that. Littleflame didn't just die for the Clans, she died for us. Rainpatch fought in that war for the Clans, and for us. They died _for us_ , and they died for the world. So don't you _dare ever_ look me in the eye and tell me they died for nothing," she snarled.

He flinched, and then sighed. "How can you stay so positive looking at all this?"

"If I let all this get to me I'll never take another step forward. Our journey isn't finished yet, Eaglestrike, we have to find our Clans and turn six to four. That's what StarClan told you, right?" For a moment she looked just as hollow and broken as he felt.

"Yes," he took a deep breath, "that's what we have to do."

"Then let's go do that."

"Right."

Crossing the border into RogueClan's territory, the travellers noticed a very sudden change in the environment. While it had been cold among the sand dunes of PhoenixClan, it was _freezing_ in RogueClan's swamp. Their breaths billowed out in front of them in the form of small clouds. Ice hugged the ground tightly and swarmed up the tangled trees. Snow mingled with the mud.

"Are we going to check your camp?" Arrow whispered, not really wanting to break the strange, fragile silence hanging over the swamp. It felt like something was lurking in the shadows, watching them with chilling eyes.

"Might as well. I can't imagine RogueClan willingly leaving the camp," Willowclaw shrugged. His disinterest was faked, and Icepetal knew it. She brushed her muzzle against his, knowing just how afraid he was for his adopted family. He missed Singe, and the rest of RogueClan, desperately. It was obvious in the hurried pace he set, loping through his frozen home.

Simmering beneath the surface was an untameable anger, bubbling and boiling in his blood. Willowclaw set his mind on reaching his camp. He refused to think about anything else. He forced himself to believe that he would burst through the tunnel and find Singe waiting for him, dopey smile on show for the whole word to see. He wanted to introduce Icepetal to his brother, wanted to see them eye each other up before accepting the other. They were his dreams, what he wanted to happen upon returning home.

He would tear apart whoever was responsible for ruining those dreams.

The mud trap surrounding RogueClan's camp was just a moat of dark ice. It wouldn't be trapping anyone anytime soon. Gingerly the travellers stepped onto it, flinching at the creaks and groans it produced. The cold seeped into their paws. Eaglestrike leaned down, picking up Sunrise by her scruff. She didn't complain, just held her freezing paws close to her body, hoping that no one could hear her heart thundering in her chest.

"Please be here," Willowclaw whispered, and then plunged through the overgrown bramble barrier encircling his camp.

Silence greeted him, silence and emptiness. Singe was not waiting with his dopey smile on show. The only thing waiting was devastation.

A gaping hole had swallowed up one corner of the camp, gnarled bramble claws stretching up the sides in a bid for freedom. Burnt and blackened remains of dens lay scattered. Shards of ice dangled precariously from overhanging trees, aiming their vicious points down into the camp. There wasn't a soul in sight nor the scent of one either.

Willowclaw sucked in a loud breath. His eyes felt wet. "Hey, hey, it's okay," Icepetal pressed herself against him.

"I'm fine," his voice was hoarse.

"You're not," she persisted.

He crumbled. "I'm not, I'm really not."

"I know." It seemed that Willowclaw's pain was hurting Icepetal, her voice strained and eyes squeezed shut as she tucked herself in closer to his fur.

Sunrise freed herself from Eaglestrike's mouth, creeping further into the camp that had once been Willowclaw's home. She tried to imagine the big tom lounging around with other cats, talking and laughing in the late afternoon sun, but found that she couldn't picture him with anyone but the cats he was with now. Willowclaw wasn't Willowclaw without Icepetal or Eaglestrike, just like Tornheart wasn't the same without Arrow.

The massive hole in the corner garnered her attention, she was curious to see what else had fallen into it, maybe she'd find a clue to where everyone had gone. That'd certainly cheer everyone up. Keeping Arrow's warning in mind she crept over to the edge, ears pricked and nose twitching, senses all searching for anything that could pose a threat. Her tail, however, wiggled excitedly. She peered over the edge and came face to face with a rotting head.

Her scream echoed through the swamp. The Chosen flinched, Eaglestrike moving so quickly Sunrise hardly saw him. He pulled her away from the hole, thrusting her into Tornheart's waiting paws. She was brought into the warmth of Tornheart's fur, face turned away from the camp.

"What did I say about staying close?" Arrow chided gently.

"I just wanted to cheer everyone up," Sunrise mewled miserably.

"Shush," Tornheart nosed Arrow away, "she's learnt her lesson."

Willowclaw couldn't stop staring at the head. Patches of dusty brown fur clung to it, though there were chunks of it missing where yellowed bone could be seen. Its mouth was pulled into a horrified wail. He squeezed shut his eyes. "It's Kynsia."

"RogueClan's leader," Eaglestrike murmured.

"I want to know what happened here," Willowclaw growled. "I want to kill whoever did this." He was practically trembling with rage.

Icepetal cleared her throat, "wait. Look at the middle."

The hole wasn't just home to crumpled bramble bushes. It was a grave, a pile of bodies rising up from the middle. RogueClan's final resting place.

"No. _No!_ " Willowclaw moved to throw himself down into the grave, but Eaglestrike stepped in front of him, barring him from joining his dead kin. "Move! I need to find Singe! _Move, Eaglestrike_!"

"What will finding the rotten body of your brother solve? It'll only make the pain worse. Stop it, Willowclaw!"

"Let me go!"

" _Enough_!" Tornheart yowled, "why start fighting now? Yes, Willowclaw, you have the right to mourn and by no means am I asking you not to, but going into that grave and digging through the bodies of your Clan mates will not help. Mourn your brother as you remembered him: alive and healthy, not rotting under the bodies of his friends. Besides, he might not even be dead."

Willowclaw shoved Eaglestrike away, curling his lip at him. "I don't need time to mourn, I just need to find who did this and kill them."

"Pretending it doesn't hurt just makes it worse, trust me," Icepetal said.

"All you keep saying is "it will just make it worse", how can it get any worse!?" he shouted, "my Clan has been reduced to a pile of rotting bodies in a pit that used to be part of their home. It _can't_ get any worse than this. You don't understand!"

Icepetal raised her hackles and snarled at him, "my home is _burning_ as we speak. How dare you say I don't understand! My Clan exiled me. I went on this journey for a Clan that didn't even want me and you say that I don't understand? It could have been worse, Willowclaw, _we_ could have died too. You could be alone."

"I was born alone, grew up alone, and it won't matter if I die alone," he spat back.

Upon noticing the look of shock and hurt spreading across Icepetal's face, Willowclaw realised what he'd said. The anger dropped from his body like a stone but the damage was done, and she whipped around, storming towards the way out of the camp. She might have made it out into the frozen swamp if it hadn't been for the stranger appearing in her way.

"Who are you?" the stranger spat, brown and black-striped fur bristling.

"Who are _you_?" Icepetal shot back.

The strange she-cat snorted. "You're the ones trespassing on Clan territory."

"I _live_ here," Willowclaw hissed.

She looked at him in surprise, searching him as if looking for something familiar about him, expression turning skeptical when she didn't find anything. "No cats live in the valley."

"Why not? Where did our Clans go?" Eaglestrike queried.

" _Our_? Hang on, before I start giving out secrets, how about you tell me who you are?"

"Willowclaw, from RogueClan."

"Eaglestrike of PhoenixClan."

"Icepetal. SnowClan."

She laughed bitterly, "oh I remember you, SnowClan exiled you. Didn't you all vanish during the days leading up to Crimson's fire? Your Clans figured you'd left to join her." She narrowed her eyes, "did you?"

"No, we did not," Icepetal bit out. "We told you who we are, your turn."

"Singingriver, current leader of RisingClan."

The Clanners eyed her curiously. Tornheart could see shadows of RisingClan's founder, Fallenshadow, in her dark pelt and amber eyes. "Wasn't Dancingwave leading RisingClan?" Tornheart asked curiously.

Singingriver glanced at Tornheart, and her fur began to bristle again. " _You._ You have a _lot_ of guts showing up here after all you've done. I could kill you and the Clans would call me a hero. Tornheart the Betrayer, finally killed. A glorious day it would be."

"You touch her and I'll flay you to pieces," Icepetal shoved Singingriver back.

"You're defending a murder!" she scoffed. "No wonder SnowClan exiled you."

Eaglestrike spat, "and you're threatening the reason you're all still alive."

"She's the reason the Clans fell!"

"I know what I did, and I know that it was wrong. Crimson had me under mind control during the time the Clans fell completely. I had no control over what I did. But the moment I had my mind back I did everything I could to right the wrongs I'd done. Crimson is dead, and the cats you see before you are the reason why," Tornheart defended herself.

Singingriver hesitated. "Crimson's...dead?"

"We left her body on the top of her mountain," Willowclaw scratched at the ground. "We killed her, cats _died_ to kill her."

"Please, just tell us where the Clans went. What happened to the valley?" Eaglestrike pleaded.

RisingClan's leader eyed Tornheart, Arrow, and Sunrise uncertainly. "Who are the other two?"

"Cats that have helped us on our journey, they wanted to come home with us," Tornheart explained.

"I don't trust any of you, and I'm not sure you're telling the truth, but I like to believe that once a Clan cat always a Clan cat. The loyalties you were born with should be strong enough to survive a few moons away from home," she said. "After the fire the Clans tried to survive back in their old homes, but so many died and the valley was no longer providing prey, or healthy water. We fell apart two moons later...and...we left for the mountains. That's where we are now. That's where we're safe, the only place we're safe. If you want to see your Clans I can take you to them, but I don't know how they'll react to any of you, especially _her_."

Tornheart nodded, "I understand that."

"Take us to them," Eaglestrike demanded.

"Hang on," Icepetal interrupted. "You said the mountains were the only place that you're safe. Safe from what?"

"Nothing that concerns you," Singingriver answered. "Follow me, and stay quiet."

The travellers shared a concerned look. What was threatening the safety of their Clans was most definitely their concern.

"What happened to my Clan?" Willowclaw asked hoarsely.

Singingriver's look was guarded, "we don't know."

They didn't believe her.

* * *

 **an: Kind of forgot to mention last chapter that Edge of Darkness is a sequel to Chasing the Sun. Most things won't make sense if you haven't read Chasing the Sun.**


	3. Chapter Three: Homeland

**¢нαρтєя тняєє:** **¢нαρтєя тняєє: нσмєℓαηd**

"We'll cross over the river at the Isle. It's not the quickest way to RisingClan's territory, but going through the bottom corner of PhoenixClan's territory is far too dangerous," Singingriver explained, ears swivelling around to catch any and all sounds. She looked on edge and moved uncertainly.

"Why is my territory too dangerous?" Eaglestrike ducked under a low-hanging, broken branch.

She sighed, "I'm under orders to keep my mouth shut, but trust me when I say that we aren't the only ones in the valley. If we're caught down here we'll be dead in heartbeats."

"Rogues?" Icepetal assumed.

"Oh I wish. Stop asking questions, you'll get me in trouble."

"You're a Clan leader. Who's giving _you_ orders?" Willowclaw snorted, "and why are you following them?"

" _Look_ ," Singingriver snarled, "you can't just vanish for moons, come back, and expect everything to be exactly the same as you left it. Things happened while you were gone. We adapted to survive, we had no choice. Get over it."

"They saved your lives, shouldn't you be a little thankful?" Sunrise grumbled, earning a cuff over the head from Arrow.

A growl rumbled in Singingriver's throat and she fixed Sunrise with a cruel glare. "I don't believe a word any of you have said, apart from being Clan cats. To me you aren't heroes, you didn't travel for moons on some terrible journey and kill Crimson. To me all you did was abandon us when we needed warriors the most." She eyed Sunrise with disgust, "you look too much like that twisted, demonic, she-cat that caused my family so much pain."

"Leave her _alone_ ," Icepetal seethed, pushing Singingriver against the cold surface of a tree. "She's a _kit_ , since when have Clan cats treated kits like that?"

"Let me go, _rogue_. I don't have to take you to your Clans, in fact I could just leave you here and you'd be dead by morning," Singingriver hissed.

"Icepetal, no!"

She threw Singingriver to the ground, hovering over her with claws pressed against her throat. Tortured blue eyes stared down at the wriggling leader. Her tail lashed, and for a brief moment there was a look of fear reflected in Singingriver's dark eyes. "I am not a rogue."

"There isn't a trace of Clan blood in you."

"Blood doesn't make a warrior. Loyalty does. I came back for SnowClan knowing they'd exiled me. Without loyalty we'd all have nothing," Icepetal curled her lip.

"That's very well said and all, but it doesn't really change the fact that you're about ready to slit my throat." Her grin was devious. "Let me up, silly warrior, before you do something stupid."

Willowclaw grabbed Icepetal's scruff in his mouth and pulled her off the grinning leader. "It's not worth the trouble. _She's_ not worth the trouble. We can go home if we let her take us."

"We _are_ home, Willowclaw," she protested.

Singingriver laughed, "stay here then, I won't stop you. But you'll never see any of your Clan mates if you do. They'll never venture down here again."

"Take us to our Clans," Eaglestrike growled, "or you're of no use to us."

"What will you do to me if I refuse? _Kill me_?" Singingriver giggled.

"We've killed countless cats. One more won't make a difference."

Her devious smile fell from her face, and she cleared her throat. "Keep up then."

The river surging around High Star Isle was frozen solid on RogueClan's side; it was so cold that wisps of mist rose up from the white surface, curling and twisting in the air. It had covered the stepping stones, once the only way onto the Isle without risking drowning. Now all one had to do was slip and slide across the ice.

The place where six Clans to come together once a moon in peace and share news, good and bad, with their friends across borders, was silent, empty, void of any life. It was home only to ghosts of the past now, and it was easy to imagine the shadows of those that had passed pacing the clearing.

Long cracks spread like spider webs over the four thrones resting at one end of the Isle. Abandoned and left to rot they'd crumbled in places, chunks missing. Nature had moved to take back what it had lost, greenery claiming the dull stone. The runes carved deep into stone still stood out, deep shadows against the pale gray, spelling out stories no one but Tornheart could read. Not even time would be able to rid the world of the thrones, they would always remain as a reminder of a darker age.

Tornheart broke away from the group, moving silently over to the ruins. She could remember the day four of the five Chosen had rested in the shadows of the forest just behind the thrones, waiting for the arrival of the fifth. They'd been comfortable with each other, even then, before their journey had really even started. Back then nothing had really been certain, they hadn't known what was going to happen. If she could go back and tell them that it worked out, that they survived - some of them - and went home, she would. They _all_ could have done with encouragement like that.

She looked back over her shoulder at them to find them watching her. Coming home hadn't quite gone to plan, but they'd be fine. Not even Crimson had been able to kill them. Whatever had driven the Clans into the mountains wouldn't stand a chance against them. She had faith in her Chosen.

RisingClan's territory didn't look any better. It wasn't frozen over or baked dry, but it was a scene of devastation nonetheless. The great pine trees that had once made up the dark territory RisingClan had called home lay on their sides, roots nothing more than a tangled mess flailing in open air. It looked like a great wind had blown through the forest, ripping trees from the ground like they were feathers.

"Don't bother looking. It doesn't get any better." Singingriver's voice was emotionless.

She took them through the fallen forest, and she was right, it didn't get better. Deep gouges in the earth had to be avoided. They looked bottomless, gaping and yawning, like they were waiting to swallow up the rest of the world. Tall, pointed pillars of ice took the place of the fallen trees, becoming a strangely normal sight. Menacing, the pillars reached high into the sky, drops of cold water dribbling down their sheer sides. Shadows of the destruction beyond them could be seen within, distorted shapes hiding in the pale ice.

"Fifteen of us died." It took the travellers a few moments to realise that Singingriver was talking about what might have been the last few moments RisingClan truly existed. "We didn't listen to the others. They all left, went with Amory into the mountains where it was safe. My Clan...we've always been stubborn, always believed we could take on the world if we wanted. So we stayed and prepared ourselves to fight for our home. We should have gone with the rest of them. We should have _known_ we couldn't survive. I sent half my Clan to their deaths because I was too proud."

"You couldn't have known what was going to happen," Arrow murmured.

Singingriver looked utterly heartbroken, yet her eyes still sparked with a faint hope, a small flame still burned inside. "Don't try to make it sound like it wasn't my fault. I was the leader, I gave the order to stay, and I gave the order to fight. I watched fifteen of my own die, and I expect I'll watch the rest of them die as well. You won't recognise your own kin when you see them, strangers, everything has changed."

"Why won't you tell us what happened?" Icepetal hissed through gritted teeth.

"Because I can't. I'm not allowed to, and I can't. Ask Amory when you meet him, he might tell you," she answered truthfully.

"Amory?" Eaglestrike cocked his head to one side, searching Singingriver's pained face. He didn't _want_ to know what had happened to the Clans, but he _needed_ to know. If this...Amory could tell him what happened then he needed to get to him, fast.

She sent Willowclaw a pointed look, "the cat I take orders from."

A mountain pathway opened up at the very back of RisingClan's territory, hidden behind a pile of tree trunks, bramble bushes, and rocks. If it wasn't for the small tunnel, only just big enough for Willowclaw to fit his broad shoulders through, no cat would be able to reach the pathway. Cold and gray, it cut a steady path up into the mountains that ringed the valley and shielded the Clans from the chaos that plagued the outside world.

Beneath their paws the ground rumbled and buckled ever so slightly, tiny tremors making their legs vibrate. The wind picked up, howling with the rage of a hundred storms, pushing and pulling violently at their fur. On it came the near-silent sound of whispers, voices saying words that could not be heard. A terrible chill bit into the air around them, freezing the ground beneath their paws solid.

" _We found you."_

Sunrise's shriek was muffled by Willowclaw's paw, the tabby giving the kit to Arrow. He took her scruff in his mouth and lifted her off the ground, prepared to run at a moments notice; a defensive tactic they'd come up with whilst making the journey home. They didn't want her to witness death too early in her life, nor did they expect her to fight for her life just yet.

"Time to go," Singingriver scurried up the pathway, back turned to the howling wind and creaking ice, leaving the forest behind like it meant nothing.

" _Running so soon? We thought better of you, Clan cat. Who are those strangers you have with you? They smell like unburned land."_

The travellers swiftly followed Singingriver, vanishing around the sudden twist in the mountain path. Eaglestrike twisted his head to look back at the barrier hiding the pathway just in time to see a pair of strikingly pale blue eyes blinking at him from the shadow of an ice pillar. They crinkled up at the corners slightly, the creature they belonged to no-doubt smiling.

" _You smell like freedom, tiny warrior, freedom we would very much like to touch. Say, would you mind coming back down that path? We can't quite find the way up that special path, and we're cold and hungry and parched. You wouldn't sentence us to death like Singingriver did her Clan, would you?"_

He took a step back down the path.

" _That's it, tiny warrior. You'd be saving our lives. We'd be very grateful."_

"Stop right there. If you take another step I will have to kill you," Singingriver's presence behind him was like a dark cloud. "Ignore them. Forget them. We have to go."

"They need help, they're starving," he protested.

"Trust me when I tell you that you do not want to help them."

He snarled, "trust you!? How can I trust you when you haven't told me a single thing?!"

"You want to let them up here? Go ahead and do it, but you'll be responsible for the extinction of the Clans. _They_ are the reason we live in the mountains now. Come with me, Eaglestrike. Come home," she demanded.

Eaglestrike's eyes widened. The strangers begging he save their lives were the ones responsible for the chaos in the valley? How could cats do something so disastrous that it turned a once healthy valley into a pit of ash and ice? Then again, Crimson managed to turn the moon red and sink the sun. A little bit of fire and ice didn't really match up to the things Crimson had done.

He took a step up the path.

The cruel bite in the air grew sharper.

" _You're no fun, Singingriver. Enjoy your freedom whilst it lasts, Clan cats."_

The striking blue eyes blinked once, and then vanished, taking with them the ice and the howling wind, leaving behind a loaded silence. It remained a loaded, unbroken silence far up the mountain pathway that curved and curled into the dark stone and sparse mountain forests. High above them the sun had begun its slow journey down, soft golden rays giving light to the many other paths that broke off the one they remained on; a confusing labyrinth of paths perhaps used to throw off any followers.

A shallow river was a surprising addition to the bland, gray world they now wandered. Icy water surged around their paws, the soothing sound of rushing water doing little to calm their racing minds. It carried on for what looked like forever, slicing a straight path deep into the mountain range, more than likely ending at some point in a roaring waterfall, tumbling down into the waiting grasslands and forests.

The stone opened up in front of them, bending into a wide open space; a basin hidden away in the safety of the mountains embrace. On the opposite side to where they stood a large, old willow tree leaned into the basin, dangling threads of leaves just kissing the ground, swaying back and forth in the soft breeze that shifted across the open space. Ugly, but sturdy, dens made from all sorts of discarded bits and pieces - branches, gorse, brambles, leaves - dotted the basin, some hugging close to the sheer sides, others haphazardly built closer to the centre. From behind the shield of willow leaves protruded a ledge, pointed and sharp at the end.

Going about their lives as if they'd always lived hidden in the mountains were the Clans, all together as one big group: sharing tongues, teaching apprentices, scolding kits. It looked completely normal. It was unsettling. Just how long had they all been living up here for? Long enough for it to become a comfortable place, a home.

The wind changed direction, blowing the scent of the travellers straight down into the basin. Life came to an abrupt halt. All eyes turned to Singingriver standing on the lip of the slight slope, and the strangers huddled behind her with uncertain expressions and bristling pelts. Some looks lingered far too long on Sunrise. Tornheart shrunk down, avoiding the searching gazes. No one needed to know she was here yet.

"Why do you look familiar?" a battle-scarred warrior spoke up, sharp yellow eyes narrowed in thought.

"They claim to be Clan warriors that left moons ago," Singingriver answered for the travellers, stepping over the lip and into her 'home'. "Whether that's true or not is yet to be discovered."

"Hey, you said you believed that we were Clan cats," Willowclaw spat.

She wrinkled her nose. "Just because I believe you doesn't mean anyone else will. You don't really act like Clan cats, but you have the loyalty warriors have. Whether you can stay or are forced to go isn't up to me; prove to _them_ that you are Clan cats."

"Eaglestrike?" The mew was soft, whispered, not overly confident. A dappled brown she-cat made her way to the front of the gathered crowd, gentle amber eyes searching Eaglestrike's face.

His breath caught in his throat and he took eager steps down to stand in front of the she-cat, slight smile blooming into a full grin. "Wrenfeather," he sighed, "you're alive."

"So are you," Wrenfeather furrowed her brow. "What happened to you? We thought you'd died…"

"No. No, I didn't die. I went to save us all. I-." He paused, glancing around the Clan cats, eyes desperately flicking from face to face. The more he looked, the more frantic he grew. He couldn't see them. They weren't joining Wrenfeather in welcoming him back. Where were they? Why were they hiding? "Where's mother, and Sparrowsong?"

The soft look on Wrenfeather's face hardened, grew stormy and twisted, muzzle pulling into a pained grimace. Dark shadows pooled in her usually sunny eyes, tortured memories playing out behind them, ones she'd been plagued by for so long. "Do you really want to know? she whispered.

"Where are they, Wrenfeather?" He feared what words would spill from her mouth.

"Dead!" she laughed, "both of them! Gone!"

Eaglestrike shook his head. "No, you're lying, they aren't dead. They aren't. They _can't be dead!"_

"Where were you, Eaglestrike? Where were you when they were dying, burning to death, speared through the gut, their last wails _frozen on their face!?_ You weren't here!" she roared, "you were anywhere but where you should have been. Brambledrop was your _mother_ , Sparrowsong was your _sister._ It was your _job_ to take care of them! You could have saved them, Eaglestrike, they could have still been alive! _You_ killed your own family!"

"Shut up, shut up, shut _up!_ I put my life on the line to save _everyone_ , I ran from Crimson and her soldiers for moons, fought giant monsters that wanted nothing more than to tear my head off, I took part in a _war_ against Crimson, and then I fought her on top of her mountain. Do you want to know who I did all that for, Wrenfeather? I did it for you, for Brambledrop, for Sparrowsong, for _father_!" Eaglestrike howled.

Another cat, dark gray fur that looked constantly messy, shoved him away from Wrenfeather with a loud warning growl. "None of that helped us, did it? Look around and tell me what you see. I'll tell you what I see. Starving cats with nowhere else to run, chased from the territories they split blood for, all because we weren't strong enough to fight our enemy off. We needed you, Eaglestrike, and you weren't here."

"It's not worth it, Stormhawk," Wrenfeather sneered. "Eaglestrike has a hero complex. If _he_ believes _he's_ a hero then everyone else should believe it too."

A sharp pain seared and plucked at Eaglestrike's heart, a solid lump forming in his throat that was growing increasingly difficult to swallow around. Was it really his fault? If he had have stayed, fought alongside his Clan against the enemies that chased them from home, would his family still be alive? He gasped, lungs suddenly empty of air, no more finding its way down his throat. The world around him spun violently. He stumbled, and then fell, meeting the hard ground with a thud.

"Leave him alone!" Without fail Icepetal came to his rescue, a furious whirlwind of slashing claws and sharp teeth. "Yes, bad things happened to you, but they happened to us as well. We nearly died trying to save you all. You see the sun up there? Have you noticed how the moon is white? You have us to thank for that. Seen any soldiers around recently? Also thanks to us. Crimson is _dead_ , and it's thanks to us."

"You've fallen for your own lies!" a tom crowed, "you didn't kill Crimson. How could a few Clan cats kill that monster?"

"Because we tried," Willowclaw snapped back.

"Is that...Tornheart?"

"You brought a traitor straight into our home, Singingriver!"

"She claims to have betrayed Crimson," RisingClan's leader shrugged, "and they _are_ right. There hasn't been a sighting of even a single soldier in quite a while."

"That doesn't mean she's dead!"

Icepetal cracked. "Two of us _died_! We watched two of our own die, and countless others we met, so that we could kill Crimson, and now you stand there and say we did nothing? That we're responsible for the deaths of our Clan mates? What would _one_ cat have done against the creatures that drove you all so far up into these mountains? We _are not_ responsible for our Clan mates deaths."

"You know just how to shove your responsibilities onto other cats, don't you, Icepetal?" a sickeningly smooth voice purred.

She froze in place. "Aspenthorn. I'm not shoving my responsibilities onto other cats."

"When you became a warrior you took vows to give your life for your Clan. Shame you broke those vows the night of your vigil, abandoning your watch over the Clan to sneak off with Lightningfall. Breaking vows comes to easy to you. If you had any love for SnowClan you would have stayed instead of sneaking off so you could have heard Stoneclaw exile you," Aspenthorn grinned.

"Will you two stop arguing about past sins and focus on the fact that Tornheart the Betrayer is standing right in front of us?" Stormhawk shouted.

"This is going nowhere," Tornheart seethed. "I'll show you _all_ what became of Crimson. Maybe then you'll believe us."

The basin vanished, replaced by the bloodsoaked, chaotic mess that was the battlefield outside the city where so many had lost their lives. Shrieks and screams, cries as death came to claim the fallen, echoed alongside the growling thunder. In the sky overhead green fire burned the clouds, spreading from a fiery pillar of the same colour, and a monster born of flame tore through the rain on impressive wings.

Through Tornheart's eyes the battle played out. She clashed violently with Crimson, sparks of red and green arcing into the air. Blood mixed with mud, the ground churned up into a slippery trap just waiting to trip up an unsuspecting fighter, giving their opponent the ideal opportunity to finish the fight.

Crimson slipped, her monster shrieking overhead, and Tornheart struck with claws and magic. She sunk claws into the side of Crimson's neck, sending her magic zapping through them into Crimson's body, watching gleefully as she arched up, mouth open in a silent cry of pain. Pulling down she dragged her claws through Crimson's skin, dangerously close to the pipe supplying air to her lungs.

Red eyes snapped open, burning with an intense ferocity. Hot flame poured over Tornheart's head, and the vision changed.

This time it was the mountain top, a wounded, limping, frail Crimson wrestling for her life with Eaglestrike. Icepetal leaped into the fray, biting down on her tail, chasing a hoarse cry from Crimson. The dark-furred she-cat fought back, grabbing Icepetal's head between her forepaws and smashing it into the ground. "Why won't you just die!?" she howled.

"Because I'm a warrior, and warriors never die easily." Icepetal stumbled over to a struggling Eaglestrike, watching Crimson drop her shoulder low and drive it into his stomach. She pounced, met Crimson's hindlegs in the air, and tumbled over the edge.

The vision blurred, and then Willowclaw was there pummelling Crimson into the ground. Their battle was ferocious, quick, violent, intense, and it was clear that there was something between the two that drove them to have such a boiling hatred for each other. Words were shared, Crimson's face pulling up into a victorious grin under Willowclaw's paws.

It was Eaglestrike's screamed order to kill her that broke Willowclaw free from whatever he was seeing, and then it was done, Crimson's throat punctured and mauled, gushing blood.

"Do you see now?" The vision crumbled, Tornheart staring at the wide-eyed Clan cats as if she dared them to speak against what they had just witnessed.

"A trick," Aspenthorn squeezed his eyes shut against the sudden vertigo, "it was a trick."

The willow leaves parted with a quiet sound, brushing past each other, and a golden cat made his way slowly up to the point of the ledge, blinking owlish greeny-blue eyes at the crowd of confused looking cats. "Would," he demanded strongly, "anyone like to tell me why I just witnessed a murder? Who are the strangers in my camp?"

"They are Clan cats that vanished during the fire, Amory. They claim to have killed Crimson," Singingriver answered immediately.

"Killed Crimson?" the golden tom's laughter was booming. "It was a dream you had to make yourself feel better, nothing more than that. Stop kidding yourself, Crimson still lives."

"Littleflame, Rainpatch, Shatteredlight, Lathai, Felix, Sadie," Icepetal grit her teeth, "they didn't _die_ for you to _laugh_ at what they helped achieve. Crimson is _dead_. We killed her, you just saw us kill her. We went through so much to kill her. So if you don't believe us then we might as well just leave you all to rot here."

Shouts and cries of shock and surprise filled the basin, turmoil drowning Amory's surprised mew. He looked down at the shaking she-cat with eyes that spoke of so much darkness, and he was intrigued to say the least. The shouting of his Clans was beginning to hurt his head. "Enough!" he yowled. "Shut up, all of you. Yelling and crying about this will not help us pick the truth from the lies."

"Icepetal, right? I met you on the beach the day Rainpatch left." Heathersky, still as beautiful and young as the last day Icepetal had seen her, greeted Icepetal with a gentle smile. "You look a little different from that day, I wasn't quite sure if you were the same cat."

"You're...Rainpatch's mate."

"I...was," Heathersky's smile slipped a little. "How did he die?"

"Fighting like a warrior for you and the family he wanted," Icepetal replied truthfully, hoping the waver in her voice went unnoticed.

"He died honourably, that makes me happy. I do wish he could have come home to meet his family though," she mumbled, looking down at her paws. Icepetal followed her gaze, and the pain that struck her was the same pain that brought her to her knees by Rainpatch's body. Kits, four of them, blinking up at the stranger staring down at them with watery in her eyes.

"His?"

Heathersky nodded. "He'll live on in them."

"This is all very touching and I would _love_ to give you all the time in the world to catch up and share stories. But," Amory jerked his head in Arrow's direction, smiling curiously at the kit hiding behind his legs, "who's the kit with the red eye?"

Arrow met Amory's stare defiantly before looking towards Eaglestrike for permission. When the PhoenixClan warrior nodded Arrow opened his mouth and the world's best kept secret slipped out.

"She's Crimson's kit."


	4. Chapter Four: Collision

**¢нαρтєя ƒσυя: ¢σℓℓιѕιση**

Her reflection stared back at her, dark fur and pricked ears, a fleck of white - like a snowflake - just above her nose, long whiskers, and rounded ears. A face made young by kitfluff, innocence personified in soft slopes and subtle angles. Coat smooth and shiny, reminiscent of a raven's impressive plumage, ruffled in a few places by breaths of wind. She blinked an eye shut, admiring the sharp glint of blue left behind; apparently the same as her father's, the kind of blue that painted the sky in the few moments before the sun rose. The other….the other one she wished was different. Red, blood-stained, tainted; the horror of her mother stuck in her eye for the world to see.

There weren't many memories she had of her mother, but the ones she did would have never given her the idea that Crimson had been evil. The tyrant her new friends spoke of often did not sound like the mother she'd known. Crimson had always been quiet, reserved, sitting at the back of the cavern listening to anything and everything she'd rambled on about. It had never been an uncomfortable kind of quiet, more of a companionable type, the air not heavy with unspoken words but light with warm feelings. When Crimson had spoken her voice had been soft, gentle, the love of a mother for her kit buried deep in her tone. She had never seemed evil.

Yet, these strangers had come barging into her home on a night when the mountain had roared in fury, and chased her mother through the sweeping halls. She'd watched, hidden away in the many secret passages she'd discovered, as they'd called her mother all sorts of terrible things, blamed her for so many horrible acts, shouted their anger and sadness at her. To hear from the mouths of others what her mother had done, it would be something she'd never forget, and never truly believe. Her mother wasn't evil. Her mother was caring and loving.

In the light of a blood moon she'd watched her mother become someone she'd never seen before, a monster with gnashing fangs and bloodied claws, a creature that wanted nothing more than to steal the life from the strangers standing before her. Words, cruel and barbed, spilled from Crimson's mouth. Skin broke beneath her claws, ripped under her teeth. The monster the strangers accused her of being seemed so much more real.

She'd become an orphan not truly knowing who her parents really were.

"Who do you see?" Tornheart sat down beside her, meeting her gaze in the shallow puddle, expression soft yet knowing.

"Myself?"

"Who do you _really_ see?"

Unease. It was a hard feeling to shake around Tornheart, the only cat in the entire world that had been close enough to Crimson to call her family. To stand side-by-side with Crimson, the monster everyone hated, and remain there took something other than fear. As much as Tornheart refused her affection for the now-dead tyrant, she'd felt it at some point, and it was very likely that she still felt shreds of it now. This she-cat sitting beside her knew her mother more than she ever would, was closer with her mother than she'd ever be: she was more Crimson's daughter than Sunrise was. _Jealousy._

"I don't know who I see, me I guess, but _them_ sometimes as well."

Yet Tornheart oozed a sense of calm that clashed so viciously with the unease Sunrise often felt, it was difficult to feel uncertain of Tornheart for very long. Then again, she didn't know the other she-cat particularly well, didn't know _why_ a warrior with such a strong sense of right and wrong ended up fighting on the wrong side for so long.

"You're a mix of two very powerful cats, one from another realm and the other the product of a summoning gone wrong. There's never been a kit like you before, but you mustn't let who they were affect who _you_ are going to become. Life offers us many paths, Sunrise, and you will be the only one able to choose your own. Don't let the past define you."

"I'm not like them." The blood coloured eye, and the jealousy surging through her veins told her otherwise. Just because she hadn't been born evil didn't mean she couldn't become it. Maybe it already flowed through her body, a poison injected into her blood during birth that would slowly corrupt her until she was just the same as her mother. She hoped Tornheart hadn't heard the slight waver in her voice.

"You're not," Tornheart agreed, "and you never will be. We'll always be here for you, every one of us. We won't ever let you become like them."

"Were they really all that bad?" The words slipped out before she could stop them, but she was sick of hearing only bad things about her parents. Surely they'd done other things? No cat could be truly evil. Brow furrowed and face pinched she stared up at Tornheart.

Tornheart's calm facade slipped a little, the pain of moons of suffering through the feelings she thought were fake and the ones she thought were real coming back in a rush. "It, ah, it depends on who you ask, really."

"Well I'm asking you, 'cause you knew Crimson the best, didn't you?"

"I guess I did," she looked uncomfortable. "She was, quite possibly, the greatest cat I'll ever know, but that doesn't mean I approve of what she did or had any affection for the way she lived her life. You need to know that your mother did terrible things, but she was also an incredibly smart, cunning, powerful being. There was no one in the world, that could have beaten her alone. Crimson was an unstoppable force right up until the point where she gave birth to you. I believe she knowingly and willingly gave up her kingdom for you, Sunrise. Her power, she gave it all to you, save for the tiny bit she kept for her final stand, because she wanted nothing more than the best for you."

"So, you're saying she loved me?"

Tornheart sighed, "I don't think Crimson knew what love was, but she certainly thought of you as something extremely important. She didn't hide you away from everyone for no reason. Not even your father knew you existed. You were important to her, she felt _something_ for you. It might have made her a decent cat in time, but time was something she never had to begin with."

"What about Frozengaze?" Sunrise spoke the name slowly. Her father's name had come up often enough for her to know that he'd been a terrible cat. No one had been careful about speaking badly of him around her. It had worried her a little at first. Thoughts about what he'd done to make so many hate him ran wild through her head. But then she'd realised that she'd never had any interactions with her father, so his ways could have never rubbed off on her. A slight comfort.

"Be thankful that you never met him. He could corrupt StarClan with his slippery words. Your father was pure evil, right down to the very core. He only made Crimson worse," Tornheart shifted her head away from Sunrise, bringing a forepaw up to rub gently at her face. "He deserved Icepetal's teeth in his throat."

Sunrise's laugh was dry, and bitter. "I had such a _lovely_ family."

"We're your family now." Tornheart's reply was instantaneous. "They might have been the family you were born into, but we're the family that will raise you. We'll love you more than they ever could have."

She knew Tornheart was trying to be reassuring, and she understood that her life might not have been so good if she'd grown up with Crimson and Frozengaze. Yet she couldn't help but yearn for her birth parents. Deep down, in the dark pits of her mind, she didn't want the love of her new family, she wanted them to take her back to the mountain, back _home_ , back to the body of her mother. That wasn't wrong, was it? To need, to want, the love and presence of a mother even though they'd done terrible things?

Tornheart pulled her close, drawing her tongue soothingly over Sunrise's head. Sunrise bit her lip against the anger she felt. Did Tornheart just assume kind words, promises, and an embrace would make her forget everything? It wasn't going to happen. She still hadn't truly forgiven the oath-taker for spending moons with her mother, getting close to her, learning all sorts about her, and then betraying her in the end. Was she jealous? Quite possibly. _She_ was the one that deserved to spend time with Crimson, not Tornheart. _She_ would have never betrayed her mother, Tornheart already had.

"Did you love her?" Sunrise breathed.

She felt Tornheart stiffen. "No." Yet the tremor in her voice and the frantic beating of her heart spoke otherwise. She was lying. "I didn't love her."

 _You ask me to trust you, to think of you as family, yet you lie to me._

She watched the gold tom stroll lazily up the ledge, rolling his shoulders, stretching his neck, eyeing the crowd gathered below him with curious, calculating eyes; a deep ocean green, blue speckled throughout, when he met her eyes she felt tiny and out of place. He was a magnificent looking cat, bigger than Willowclaw by far, sporting a golden coat that looked _alive_ in the light. Following the line of his spine was a solid white line that spilled over his tail, painting the thin appendage in white. He turned his head, and Sunrise flinched. Long scars ran from the tip of his jaw to his forehead, tearing up one half of his big head.

Right now she would give anything to be back in the mountain, away from the crowd baying for her blood, and _very_ far from the tom giving her a startled look that quickly slipped into one of intense thought, corners of his muzzle quirking up ever so slightly. They'd warned her what the Clans would think of her, but their words could not have prepared her for this. The hatred was palpable, it lingered in the air like an unpleasant smell...

"That doesn't make her evil!" Tornheart snapped, "there's nothing evil about her."

"We thought there was nothing evil about you, look where that got us!"

"She's been brought up by Crimson! Of course she's evil! How can anyone be related to that monster and not be evil? Look at her eye, look at it and then tell me she's not going to grow up like Crimson."

"Sunrise _will not_ grow up like Crimson," Eaglestrike snarled, fur bristling along his spine. His eyes were narrowed in what looked to be a mix of rage and loss, expression twisted into one of pure grief. "I believe in her. Trust me to trust her."

Aspenthorn wrinkled his nose and shoved his way to stand in front of Eaglestrike, looking down at the warrior disdainfully, lip curled. "Why should we trust _you?_ Why should we trust _any_ of you? We don't need you to make our situation any worse. So take that devil she-kit, and Tornheart while you're at it, and leave."

"You made such a big fuss about us being gone in the first place, and now you want us to just leave again?" Icepetal scoffed, "make up your mind."

"Shut your traitorous mouth, foxheart. No one needs or wants to hear your opinion. In fact no one wants or needs you here either. We needed _warriors_ back then, not pretenders," he sneered.

"Enough, Aspenthorn." A brown tabby shoved Aspenthorn lightly, blue eyes of a startling similarity to Icepetal's sparkling with amusement. "Welcome back, little sister, took you long enough. I bet you have one big story to tell." To the gathered crowd he said, "look how beat up they are. Look how their shoulders droop with tiredness. Look how their eyes are dim. They've been a long way, left a home that was burning with the hope that it would grow back, and returned to a devastated pit. They know they could have helped if they'd been here. But they weren't. So what? Maybe they did take down Crimson. Maybe they didn't. Can't we just give them a little while to recover?"

Icepetal grinned at the tabby. "Always the peacekeeper, Dustclaw."

"I do what I can," he shrugged.

"The longer we let Tornheart and that kit stay in this camp the more at risk we become! Get them out of here before she kills us all!" an elder cried out.

"How much more will it take to convince you that we mean no harm!?" Arrow shouted back.

Sunrise crouched closer to the ground wishing she could just sink into it. The Clan cats were slowly pushing closer, surrounding the travellers, their eyes bloodthirsty and claws flexing into the dirt. Why did they hate her that much? Were they all that certain she'd grow up to be like her mother? She wouldn't, or at least she wouldn't become the Crimson they were talking about, she'd become the Crimson she'd known.

Teeth sunk into her scruff, hauling her away from Arrow and away from safety. She squealed, flailing wildly in the grip of her assailant. The teeth dug in a little deeper enough to pierce the skin, blood welling up, dripping into her fur. A quiet growl rumbled nearby, the sound vibrating through her body. She froze up with a quiet mewl and squeezed her eyes closed. Someone would save her. They wouldn't let her die. They promised to take care of her. They _promised._ She was important to them, wasn't she?

"Don't you dare touch her!" Tornheart's roar echoed far into the surrounding mountains, her paws thudding heavily into the ground as she struggled desperately to Sunrise's aid. "How dare you injure a kit! What happened to the Code!? _Put her down!"_

It was Arrow that reached Sunrise first, slamming all of his weight into the she-cat holding the kit captive. Sunrise hit the ground hard, the air in her lungs rushing out in one giant breath. She flinched at the loud screech that sounded above her, looking up to see Arrow grappling fiercely with the gray she-cat. He fought with a stony face that gave away nothing, ducking and weaving in a spectacular show of grace. Her claws never once hit their mark. Her teeth never tasted his flesh or his blood. He, on the other paw, flayed her very skin from her bone. It was like he was lost in the battle, lost in the fragile dance on the line between life and death. The blankness in his eyes was scarier than the blood wetting his muzzle.

Icepetal had not failed in her endeavour to train the city cat to fight like a monster. He had a strange gift, this heir to the city, to completely forget anything and everything around him; focused entirely on his enemy, not distracted by the shouts or the movements of others. It required an extreme amount of concentration, a mind that was calm, and the intense desire to win. Arrow had all these, and it made him a formidable opponent. Icepetal had exploited this, turned it into a weapon, fine-tuned it, given Arrow the means to protect the only one that truly mattered to him.

He crushed the she-cat's throat under his paw.

There was one more thing Arrow could do.

He swiped at the blood on his muzzle.

It was something only a city cat, born and raised in streets built on blood and sorrow, could ever hope to do. It ran in their blood, a birthright.

He smirked at the she-cat's glazed stare.

Arrow had never, and would never, feel remorse.


	5. Chapter Five: Superior

**¢нαρтєя ƒινє: ѕυρєяισя**

"Arrow!"

Like a wave meeting the harsh stone of a sheer cliff the Clanners came crashing down on Arrow with a vengeance, shrieking bloody murder at the bewildered city cat. He vanished under the swell of heaving bodies, a quiet mewl that might have been a plea for help the only sound escaping his mouth. The she-cat's blood was churned with the ground, mixed with the dirt, a sludgy mess created underpaw.

Eaglestrike glared up at Amory furious that he was doing nothing, just letting the Clans have their way with Arrow. Since when had the payment for murder been murder? A warrior doesn't have to kill to win a fight. He looked away. Did the Code still function under Amory's leadership, or had it really been forgotten?

"Do something!" Tornheart seethed, eyes looking strangely bright.

"Why can't you do something? Magic them away!" Willowclaw muttered. He caught Tornheart's burning look and flinched, mumbling a quiet apology under his breath, before plunging into the chaos behind him. His claws hadn't glinted in the sun. They hadn't even been unsheathed. Yet his heavy paws did enough damage on their own, leaving more than a few Clanners stumbling and seeing stars.

"They hate me." Secured in Icepetal's grip, hanging by her scruff, ears flattened and eyes downcast, Sunrise had never looked so pitiful. "I didn't even do anything."

"It's not what you've done. It's what they think you'll do," Tornheart said.

A pained howl rang out from behind them and Icepetal jerked into action, placing Sunrise on the ground, and then whipping around to smack at the muzzle of a ginger tom. He'd been prowling far too close, eyes set on the trembling bundle of dark fur now curled up by Eaglestrike's paws. The sting of claws across his muzzle sent him scurrying away, Icepetal hissing and spitting with all the rage of a queen guarding her kits.

" _Enough!"_ Amory's yowled order brought everything to an abrupt stop. An absolute order that was to be obeyed. None, it seemed, dared to disobey. Carefully, so very carefully, as if they were afraid to provoke Amory's anger once more, the Clanners untangled themselves from the mess they'd gotten into. Some were bloodied, scratched up and bitten. Others were unharmed. All regarded the travellers with dislike. First impressions were of high importance and this one had gone horribly wrong.

"A snake can only hide for so long." When he spoke it was slow and drawn out, each word sounding as important as the last. He simply drew attention to him. It was hard to ignore his presence, it sucked everyone in, trapped them in a web of sorts, "before it gets bored and gives away its position. I've told you all before, life is a waiting game. If you strike before you've thought ahead you'll fail. If you wait, if you think every little detail out before you make your move, you'll find that you'll come out on top. Some," he grinned at Arrow and Willowclaw, "have never learnt that lesson."

"They killed Dapplefur, they should pay for their crimes," a disgruntled Wrenfeather spat, right ear split down the middle.

"No, they didn't _all_ kill Dapplefur. _He_ killed Dapplefur and if my observations were correct, which they always are, she did strike first. The young tom was merely defending the life of the small kit your Clanmate attacked. Harming kits is a despicable thing to do," Amory eyed Dapplefur's corpse coldly. "If you ask me she got what she deserved, but I understand your anger. What would you have me do?"

In another place at another time with another leader it would be expected for the gathered to dissolve into disarray, no one quite agreeing with each other on what should happen to the murderer. Yet there, in the basin, watched closely by Amory's scrutinizing gaze, no one shouted or argued or even said a word. It was silent, uncomfortably so. The Clans had been given a chance to chase the travellers out but they weren't taking it.

"Why aren't they saying anything? You'd think they'd be demanding he kill us," Willowclaw whispered. He limped a little, hindleg oozing blood.

"I don't know," Eaglestrike admitted. "This is the perfect chance for them to get rid of us, but they're just standing there doing nothing. Maybe they don't want us gone?"

Icepetal snorted, "don't be stupid. They don't care what happens to us. It's something to do with him," she jerked her head up at Amory, "he's done something to our Clans, made them subservient somehow. You've noticed, haven't you?"

"How they follow his orders without fail?" Willowclaw nodded.

"It's not that they just follow them, they do it without even _thinking_. When he ordered them to stop fighting with you they did it in an instant. _An instant_ ," she hissed.

"He's a good leader," Eaglestrike put in, curling and uncurling his tail nervously. "To take six Clans and have them live comfortably alongside each other far up in the mountains isn't an easy thing to do. It must be hard to find food and water up here, look how thin everyone is. Yet he's still leader and they're all still here. They follow his orders without fail because they believe his actions are in their best interest."

"I still don't like him," Icepetal huffed.

Willowclaw grinned at her, "you don't like anyone."

"Nothing?" Amory laughed, "is there nothing you want me to do to these travellers? You make it look like you actually _want_ them to stay. Fair enough. If there's nothing you want me to do then nothing shall be done." To the travellers he said, "convince me that you will not be a burden upon my Clan if you stay. We need capable warriors, not deadweights."

Heathersky cleared her throat, and gently moved her kits behind her. "If I may, Amory?"

"You may."

"I can't speak for Tornheart, nor can I speak for the city cat or the kit, but I can speak for the others. They _are_ Clan cats, I've met Icepetal before, when Rainpatch left. He told me he was leaving to do something that would benefit every cat in ever Clan. Rainpatch wouldn't lie to me, so I believe he went with them and he helped defeat Crimson. I'm not saying you need to believe that to, but you should believe me when I say that these cats mean us no harm."

Amory acknowledged her opinion with a slight nod and a small smile. "Do you think they will be a burden if they stay?"

"No warrior is a burden," Heathersky answered strongly.

"Will you be a burden?" the leader asked the travellers.

Eaglestrike arched a brow. "We did not travel all this way home to be a burden on our Clans. When we took our names we made a vow to protect our Clans with our lives. That vow wasn't forgotten, and whether our Clans want us to or not, we will continue to uphold that vow until the day we die." He spoke for everyone because he knew they all felt the same. A Chosen could not have travelled all the way to Crimson's lair, lay down their lives, and fought against an entire army if they'd not been doing it for their Clan. While each of their individual motives had been different, their collective motive had been the same: save the Clans. To come home and ignore that vow would be to turn their backs on the sacrifice Rainpatch and Littleflame made.

"Then you can stay."

" _What!?"_ Aspenthorn exclaimed, "just like that? All he has to do is spit some pretty words and you bend at the knee? You took only _one_ of our opinions. We all have different ones. Why not listen to the choices of your own Clan before listening to some outsiders first?"

Amory's golden coat bristled along his spine. The anger that descended over his features was like a cloud passing over the sun. He bared his teeth in a quiet snarl. "Heathersky is a level headed member of this Clan. I gave you all the option to tell me what to do with these outsiders and none of you spoke up. You lost your chance, Aspenthorn, don't have a tantrum about it."

"I can't believe this." Aspenthorn said no more, slinking out of sight like a scolded kit.

"We aren't quite done yet. Whilst the Clan cats out of your group are staying, the fates of the rest of you are still undecided, and I can't really ignore the fact that one of you murdered a member of my Clan," Amory swept his gaze over Tornheart.

She met his eyes defiantly. Moons of standing alongside Crimson had taught her to never look away, to keep that eye contact until the other gave in. "There's nothing I can say to make these cats forgive me. I've done terrible things under Crimson's rule, _terrible_ things. I regret all of them but there's nothing I can do about it now."

"Did you betray her?" he asked.

"Yes. As soon as I was free of her mind control I left her mountain to find the Chosen. I helped them do what the world thought was impossible. We defeated Crimson together. Rainpatch and Littleflame didn't die for nothing."

Amory cocked his head to one side. "What happened to your face?"

Tornheart stiffened and looked away, giving in, losing to Amory, all because of a few words, all because of some scars. There wouldn't be a day go by where she didn't hate what had happened to her. "War takes, it never gives. He died. That's all that matters."

"A warrior turned betrayer turned hero. You are a strange one. How did you make me see all those things? I'm a very curious cat, you see, and I'd very much like to know."

"I have a gift," she looked uncomfortable, shifting from paw to paw. "A power."

"You can stay," Amory grinned.

"Are you serious?!" an outraged queen screeched, "she's just told you she has some sort of power, which makes her even more dangerous, and you're letting her stay?"

Amory sighed as if the thought of having to justify himself was tiring. "She has power, power that could help protect you all. Tornheart claims to have betrayed Crimson, she claims to be on our side now. Let her prove that to us. If she makes even one wrong move you can kill her. Are we in agreement? Good."

"The kit," he continued, "is only a kit and cannot be held responsible for the actions of her mother regardless of how bad they were. She's young, she can't be tossed out into the cold to die. The kit can stay."

"What about Arrow?" Eaglestrike demanded.

"What about him indeed. I can't just _let_ him get away with blatant murder, even if Dapplefur did start it. However," he added upon noticed the travellers growing agitation, "I get the distinct feeling if I make him leave the rest of you will go with him and I can't have that. As much as I hate to admit it we do need more capable warriors. Surviving up here is hard at the best of times. So he can stay but he will be imprisoned, locked away from everyone for as long as I see fit."

Tornheart drew herself up to her full height, a loud growl rumbling in her throat. "He was protecting the life of a kit. His actions were justified."

"My Clan comes first, Tornheart," Amory's tone made it clear that his decision would not be changed. "I can't let him roam free. He will be safe, but you will not be able to see him."

"Then imprison me with him. Arrow is my mate, where he goes I go. I won't let you throw him in some den with only himself as company."

Amory shrugged, unperturbed by this change. It seemed that to him the travellers were not a necessity. Eaglestrike supposed that they weren't really needed, the Clans had done well enough without them for this long, clearly Amory thought they could survive for longer.

"Fine. Take them both away."

Four strangers emerged from the willow leaves, stoney faced and stepping with a dangerous grace, pausing briefly to acknowledge Amory. He gave them a small nod. A silent order passed. Their expressions turned gleeful, eager grins and twitching whiskers, curling tails and ears tipping forward. They moved like lightning, one moment they stood by the ledge, the next they were wrangling Arrow to the ground. Each movement was precise, deadly accuracy making sure each blow met its mark. They were _not_ Clan cats.

Two heavyset toms _slammed_ Arrow into the churned up ground beneath them, locking his shoulders against the grass. Effectively trapped he could do nothing but squirm uselessly in their grip, hissing and spitting up at them with all the fury he could muster. One lunged forwards and snapped his jaw shut a hairsbreadth away from Arrow's face. He laughed, then pushed Arrow's head into the grass, grinding it against the hard ground. The two toms leered down at the struggling city cat, poking and prodding at him.

"Let him up." Tornheart's voice was unnervingly calm. The rest of her, however was not. She could feel that pool, that pit, deep inside beginning to overflow, figurative sparks lighting the air around her. With each thump of her heart came the familiar _snap_ of her power arcing out. Were her eyes alight? She'd been told they glow. A dead giveaway, a warning: _you're doing something stupid, you should probably stop._ "Now."

"Oh lighten up, betrayer, we're just having some fun," one of the tom's purred, blinking hawk-like amber eyes.

"You don't have a choice," she retorted.

"I think they do." The other two strangers slipped back into view, a calico she-cat grinning toothily, and a small brown tom eyeing the travellers. "We're just doing as we're told," the she-cat reminded with a flourish of her tail.

The arcs grew stronger, pulsating with their own energy, moving as if they were their own creature. They sought to obliterate whomever stood in their way, and they would, if it weren't for Tornheart holding them back. It was a taxing process holding back so much power, but it was doable. Crimson had taught her how to do it. "It would be preferable for all if you were to stop hurting him," she hissed through gritted teeth.

"No, no, no," the small tom scolded, "you can't do a thing to us. It's a very long walk back down to the valley, and it's very easy to get lost. Dying alone in the mountains doesn't sound very appealing at all."

Her power wavered, flickered, dimmed a little. "You've done enough," she persisted, "take us away."

"You can't let them take you!" Icepetal cried out, fighting against Willowclaw who held her back.

"It's for the best," Tornheart's smile was sad, "one more sacrifice won't hurt."

"We're supposed to do this together," Eaglestrike mumbled.

She shook her head, "this is your journey. Mine ended in that mountain, I've just been tagging along since then. I believe in you all, you killed Crimson remember? You can do anything."

"We'll see you again," Willowclaw said, "we won't let them lock you up for long."

"Of course you'll see me again. I'm not going anywhere, not really. Besides I can't really leave you lot to raise a kit alone for long now can I?" Sunrise twitched an ear, an indication that she'd heard what Tornheart had said, but she made no move to leave Icepetal's side. "Look after her, she's a precious little thing."

One of the heavyset toms groaned and shoved Arrow to his paws, nipping at his heels. "Are you done yet? We don't have all day to sit around and listen to sentimental partings. Get a move on, I have a patrol to lead soon."

"You're all more than welcome to join her," Amory offered.

"Not likely," Tornheart hissed. "Lead us away then."

Coralled on all sides, Tornheart and Arrow were lead away from the travellers, through the crowd of Clanners that parted for them, mocking words and judging gazes burning holes in their pelts. It was so eerily similar to the day she'd been forced to tell the Clans that Crimson was planning to visit them. Standing before the thrones she'd been forced to endure just what she was enduring now, a spiel of hatred. She'd show them, she vowed, she'd show them all that she'd revoked Crimson's rule and done everything to kill the tyrant. She wasn't evil, not anymore, and the world needed to know that.

She let her power surge once more and directed it to the smug looking golden tom staring down at her from his ledge, lips pulled up in a little smile. All the time they'd spent travelling back home she'd never once had a single concern about the Chosen once they got home, but Amory's presence had sparked more than a few. He was an outlier, an outsider, to them at least, someone that had come from nowhere and taken all the Clans under his wing, turned them into loyal followers that seemed to do anything he asked whenever he asked. Subservient, Icepetal had said. If Amory ordered them to kill the Chosen she knew they would do it without a second thought.

" _Don't harm them."_

Amory stiffened, the smugness practically falling from his face. His brow furrowed and his eyes narrowed in a questioning manner. When he met Tornheart's defiant gaze he flinched. Evergreen eyes, the same colour as the pines that had once stood mightily in RisingClan's territory, burned into him, and he could had sworn they sparked like lightning.

" _I'll know if you do, and I promise you there will not be a single tree in these mountains or in the valley left standing if I find out you have."_

The air around him crackled with power, and he was plunged into a darkness that felt _wrong_ , inky and soul-sucking. A world of devastation was presented to him; dark skies, bitter winds, no sun, no moon, no stars, an endless eternity of ash and smoke. Before him sat seven graves. He knew without a single question that one of them belonged to him. The rest were nameless, unknown, to him they were unnecessary additions to an already bleak setting. A gasp of wind blew away a fog that had settled and hundreds upon hundreds of graves joined the seven.

Electric, evergreen eyes blinked into existence, hovering over the mass of graves. " _I never break a promise. This is your future, Amory, should you harm a single hair on their pelts, but it is also the world's future. They are more important than you know, and their journey is far from over. Do not curse this world with an eternity of death."_

Sunlight returned. Thick bramble bushes were pushed over the opening of the prison cave, carved deep into the basin's cold sides. The Clans heaved a visible sigh of relief. Amory wasn't so sure they should be letting their guards down so early. He turned his attention the strangers in his camp. _Why are you so important to the survival of this world? What do you have that makes you any different from any of the cats here?_

Amory did not know the answer, and he had the distinct feeling that not even they knew why they were so important.


	6. Chapter Six: Relief

**¢нαρтєя ѕιχ: яєℓιєƒ**

A pile, a cesspit, a mess, a _grave_ ; stinking. They were the rotting bodies of the cats he'd grown up around, the ones that had been there for him when no one else had. It had been the idea of coming home to them that had kept him going all those days he tracked the Chosen; the vision he'd seen of showing Icepetal just how caring they were. His home. His family. Beautiful creatures with the unwavering strive to keep going, reduced to a rotting mess in the remains of their broken home.

There had not been one moment during his time away from home that he'd even entertained the idea that no one would be there to welcome him back. An unknown fear that had boiled just beneath the surface of his subconscious, one the world had snagged in its dark claws and made real, spun threads of fate to deliver a final blow.

Kynsia's eternal wail. Frost's crumbling head. Iana's shattered beauty. Twist's protruding bones. Blood's open chest. Hera's slipping eyes. Ferran's trampled figure. _Garra's_ teeming maggots.

It was punishment for all the terrible deeds he'd done under Crimson's protection. How could he have ever thought that a simple apology would be enough for the world? His own death had been offered up as payment, but he had declined it. So the world had come up with another payment, this time without his permission. He didn't deserve the love RogueClan had given him. He hadn't deserved Ruin's fatherly presence. He most definitely didn't deserve Icepetal's affections. Would the world decide to take her away too?

" _We aren't done with you yet,"_ the breeze seemed to mutter.

He hoped with every fibre of his being that they were. Looking down at Icepetal's corpse might just kill the tiny bit of life left in him.

Briefly his mind wandered to Pandora, to his sister, and to what she would have thought about what he'd become and the awful things he'd done. She wouldn't be proud, but then again, maybe she would have been; not because of the crimes he'd committed, but because of how far he'd gone to do what was right, to fix what he'd broke. She'd look at him with her sunrise eyes full of love and just smile at him, saying everything and nothing, allowing the silence to say all.

"Go to your Clans," Amory ordered. He was making his way back down the ledge, to the whispering curtain of leaves. There was a tiredness about his walk. "They'll teach you the way of the mountain. You will be expected to begin regular duties tomorrow. RisingClan, you're guarding tonight."

It was like a great weight lifted when the golden tom vanished from the sight, the Clans allowing their shoulders to droop a little. Some released quiet sighs, and others muttered words under their breath. _Go to your Clans. What are you supposed to do when your Clan doesn't exist anymore?_

"Willowclaw," Eaglestrike called, "come here."

He _knew_. The secrets he'd managed to hide from the Chosen, Eaglestrike knew them all. Crimson hadn't wasted any time in planting seeds of doubt in Eaglestrike's mind. The great Willowclaw, the tom that had broken free from the Tribe's clutches and appeared at the last moment to deal the killing blow, was a fraud, a screen, a facade for a darker being. Eaglestrike knew it all. He could tell the world world if he wanted about the monster Willowclaw truly was. Yet he hadn't. The warrior hadn't even mentioned it to him after the mountain top. It worried him.

"Aren't we supposed to go to our Clans?" Willowclaw protested, but joined the Chosen any way.

Three of the five that had left stood in the middle of what was to be their new home, their old Clans watching them with distrust.

"You can't leave without saying goodbye," Icepetal flicked him with her tail, "that's just rude."

"It's not as if we aren't going to see each other again. The Clans are all one big group now," he frowned.

Eaglestrike rolled his eyes, "this is the end of our journey, Willowclaw, or at least the end of the first part of it. We left to kill Crimson and now we've come home. We're _home_ and we're _alive._ "

"Not all of us," Icepetal looked over at Heathersky, watching the queen try to hush her squabbling kits. "Not all of us. He got his family. He's just not here to see it. He should be here."

"They should _both_ be here, but they died so that all this could be possible, Icepetal. Without them we might have not made it back either," Eaglestrike nosed her gently.

"Maybe we should have died too."

Willowclaw blinked. _What?_ "You...you don't mean that, do you?"

"What have we come home to?" Icepetal's eyes were angry, "Clans that don't want us, that blame us for the things that happened while we were away, that won't believe us when we tell them we kill Crimson. This isn't our home. This isn't what we wanted to come home to. They wouldn't have missed us if we'd died."

"We didn't die because our destiny isn't over yet," Eaglestrike snapped. "You remember what StarClan told us? It's our duty to bring back the four, to right the wrong committed long before our birth."

"How are we supposed to take six Clans and turn them into four? They don't trust us anymore! They won't listen to us!"

"This probably isn't the best time to argue about this," Willowclaw muttered. He cast his eye over the hovering Clans, meeting their different gazes. They didn't need to know about StarClan's return just yet.

Eaglestrike nodded, "Willowclaw's right, we'll talk about this at a later time." He paused, and then smiled. It was a little sad, but mostly it was a smile of irrefutable relief. "Thank you. Thank you for never giving up, for trusting each other even when you didn't want to. I wouldn't swap you for any other cats in the whole world. Rainpatch and Littleflame, Apollo, Tornheart, and Arrow, too."

"I didn't think I'd ever like any of you," Icepetal grinned, "but you managed to prove me wrong. Some more than others. And...thank you for not leaving me behind in the Tribe. I don't know why you bothered to stay, or why you were so certain I'd wake up, but it meant alot. Maybe one day we can go on another journey, maybe without the whole 'world dying' part."

Willowclaw glanced from Icepeal to Eaglestrike and for the first time in his life felt truly at peace with the two cats he saw before him. While yes one of them did know some pretty bad secrets he still trusted them both with his life. They'd gone so far and done so much, and seen so many things. He had to just pause and thank the cruel world for sending him away with them. He missed Rainpatch and Littleflame deeply, and wished that they could be standing beside him in that moment, but some cats were destined to die earlier than others.

"You're important to me," he said, "and I hope we have many more seasons to be stupid together."

"Of course we will," Icepetal licked his muzzle. "We aren't going anywhere."

"Come on then, let's go prove to our Clans that we never meant to abandon them," Eaglestrike twitched his whiskers.

Eaglestrike went to PhoenixClan, to the damning stare of his sister and the judging looks of his Clan. Yet there were some that welcomed him back with light words and warm touches, gentle brushes of the pelt and flicks of the tail. Sunrise, who had been silent the entire time, eyes trained on the ground and no doubt deep in thought, went with him.

Icepetal joined SnowClan, greeted warmly by her two remaining siblings. The rest of her Clan was not so welcoming. She had been exiled after all, and their hatred of the rogue warrior was tangible. She wouldn't let it get to her. She was a warrior, she would always be a warrior, regardless of what a bunch of purebloods thought.

Willowclaw had nowhere to go. That was what he thought. His name was called and he turned to answer it, not expecting what he saw: the bedraggled survivors of RogueClan, all six of them. Singe stood in the middle of the tiny group but he didn't wait with a dopey smile. He waited with blind eyes, frail limbs, and one kit. No mate. Just one kit; blank eyes, wheezing flanks, crusty nose.

No cat returned to CedarClan, and no cat returned to WaveClan. Four kits did not get to meet their father for the first time. A sibling did not get to tell their sister of their mother's death. War takes, it never gives.

"Singe." It wasn't loud enough to be considered a word. It was just an exhale, a thought loosed with a gust of grateful air. His brother wasn't dead. His brother wasn't crushed under that pile of rotting bodies. He was right in front of him. But he did not look happy. Louder this time, " _Singe._ "

"So you decided to come home." The walls broke, and Singe's dopey smile made an appearance joined by squinty eyes dribbling water. "You came home." Willowclaw stumbled as he ran to his brother, pouncing on the warrior with a loud cry. "Get off me you great lump! You'll crush me!"

"Are you calling me fat?" Willowclaw laughed, batting Singe lightly with his big paws.

Singe snorted, "you, fat? No."

Then the happiness dropped and Willowclaw abruptly sat up. He stared down into his brother's cloudy eyes, the crushing sense of failure dropping on his shoulders. "You don't blame me, do you?"

"I did." Singe turned his head away, "when everything first happened, when Rose died, when my kits died, when the Clan was struck down. But I couldn't blame you, how could I? You weren't here, and nothing that happened was because of you. All I wanted was for you to come home alive and help me protect my daughter."

A tiny mewl sounded behind them, and Willowclaw shifted to look at the tiny kit. She was so small, so thin, but she was the mirror image of her mother: short tortoiseshell fur and deep greeny-blue eyes. Life amongst the death, yet it was life that teetered on the very edge of death.

"She looks just like Rose," he mumbled.

Singe shoved him off, reaching for his shivering daughter. "Right down to the bone. My little Hope."

The sharpest pain struck Willowclaw, stabbing him straight in the heart. He wasn't the only one that had lost everything. It was selfish to think that he was the only one suffering. Every cat gathered in the basin had suffered, and they'd all lost something.

He crouched close to the ground and met Hope's pretty eyes. "Hello, Hope, I'm Willowclaw," he said gently with a soft smile.

"You're really big," Hope mewed, stretching up to place her tiny paws on Willowclaw's muzzle.

"You'll get this big one day too."

Her eyes stretched wide. "I hope not! You're too big!" Then she coughed, and coughed, and coughed, her frail body wracked by terrible sounds.

"Go back to Flight, Hope, you need to sleep for a little while," Singe looked utterly pained as he ushered the coughing kit over to a silver tabby. "She's sick, Willowclaw. She's sick and I can't make her better."

"She'll be fine, she's got your blood after all," he soothed but even he didn't believe himself. Hope was so small and sickness was so strong. She had quite a fight ahead of her, and Willowclaw begged her to win it.

Singe nodded. "Here, let me give you a lesson on mountain life. It's a little difficult living up here but we're making it work."

"You teaching me something for once, that's a new one," Willowclaw jested, sitting down on the cold ground. The grass tickled the underside of his paws.

"I taught you how to hunt!" Singe protested.

Willowclaw shoved him, "did a _real_ good job of that."

"Look," Singe pouted, "it's not my fault that you're too clumsy to hunt properly. Now shut up, I'm going to give you a lesson."

"Teach away, then."

"We don't leave the basin at night. It's too difficult to see and far too easy to fall off a cliff. A Clan is chosen to guard the basin each night, and the entire Clan has to be awake for it, save the kits and elders. The more eyes we have watching over us the safer we are."

 _A whole Clan on guard duty? Are they really that scared?_

"Hunting and border patrols are a mix of all Clans. Amory's trying to bring us closer together but we've lived apart for so long. We're getting there slowly, there are still tensions though. SnowClan and CedarClan have been uneasy with each other ever since we got here."

"What are the borders like?"

"We don't mark them as often as we should, but it's not as if there's anyone else up here to steal our territory. Besides, who wants to steal barren land? There are markers, you'll see them when you go on a patrol. Amory tries to keep hunting patrols in the wooded areas. Hunting near the cliffs is dangerous, and hunting without the protection of trees makes us easy prey for hawks."

 _Hunted while hunting. That's not normal._

"Warriors sleep in the middle dens," Singe jerks his head in the direction of the dilapidated dens. "Queens, elders, apprentices, and kits are in the far dens. Amory's den is behind the willow leaves. Look, I know you aren't really used to it, but try to get on with the other Clans. Living up here is hard enough as it is without the constant arguing."

"Tell me why you're all up here."

The question caught Singe off-guard and he hesitated before opening his mouth. "I can't. Amory forbid us from speaking about it. It's better for us, means we don't have to think about it as often."

"Don't I have a right to know why most of my Clan is dead?" Willowclaw argued, pleading with his brother to tell him.

"You don't want to know, Willowclaw. Just be thankful that some of RogueClan is left, and forget about the valley. It's not our home anymore. The mountains are. We're safe here. Okay?"

Willowclaw knew defeat when he saw it. "Okay." It must have been bad, whatever it was that happened, for a leader to forbid his Clan from speaking about it. Was it other cats? Did Crimson order her soldiers to make one last push on the Clans? He shook his head, Crimson's soldiers weren't strong enough to do that much damage.

"Can I ask you something, Willowclaw?" Singe asked.

"Sure."

"Who's that pretty SnowClan she-cat you seemed so close to?" Singe's expression was smug.

Willowclaw looked over at SnowClan, searching the Clan for Icepetal. He found her sitting with Dustclaw, her brother drawing his tongue slowly over her ear. The urge to go and sit by her, talk with her, feel her pelt brush against his, surge through him. "Her name's Icepetal."

"I've seen that look on lovestruck apprentices before. Don't tell me my little brother actually fell in love!? Mother would be astounded!"

"Shut-up, foxbreath!" Willowclaw hissed, "before the whole mountain hears you!"

"Denial as well! My, my, Willowclaw, you really have fallen," Singe grinned.

He huffed, "so? What if I have?"

"For a SnowClan she-cat, though? How'd you manage that? I thought you'd never fall for anyone, that no one could see past your grumpiness."

"I honestly don't know, all I know is that she's special, and means so much to me. There's more to Icepetal than meets the eye. She's such an amazing cat," Willowclaw murmured. "Maybe all I needed was someone as twisted as me to make me realise that I don't need to be alone."

Singe followed Willowclaw's gaze to the warrior in question. She was certainly a pretty one with her snow-coloured fur and chilly eyes. He knew his brother, though, and he knew that beauty wasn't something Willowclaw sought. _More to her than meets the eye, indeed._ "Will you introduce me?"

"Of course I will. Later, when everything's settled down, I'll take you to her," Willowclaw promised. "I think you'll like her."

"I don't think I'll have any problem liking the she-cat that won you over, brother. Are you thinking about a family?"

Willowclaw blanched, mouth half open and drying. " _What?_ Don't you think it's a little early to be thinking about that, we only just got back!" To be honest the thought of having a family had never crossed his mind, however he knew Icepetal wanted one. When was the question. When their journey was finished?

"In times like these love doesn't have very much time," Singe warned him sadly. "Cherish her while you have her, one day she might not be there anymore."

"I know." Willowclaw swallowed painfully. "Trust me I know."

"She said Rainpatch and Littleflame died. Were they with you the whole time?"

He nodded slightly. "They were with me up until the point where the Tribe took me prisoner. I didn't see them die, but it hurt so much to hear that they had."

"Tribe? That sounds like quite a story. Tell it to me," Singe demanded.

"Are you sure?" Willowclaw asked, "it's not really a pleasant story."

"I want to know about the things my brother got up to while he was off saving the world, so tell me."

In the light of a setting sun - orange, red, pink, gold, and the beginnings of black - Willowclaw sat alongside the brother he'd thought he'd lost, and began weaving the story. Would it be hard to unearth the memories he'd tried so hard to bury? Yes. Would it be difficult to tell Singe about Sadie and Felix's execution? Of course. But his brother had believed in him all the time he was away, and his brother did not blame him for what had happened like so many other Clan cats did. Because of that he wanted to tell his brother exactly why he had to leave, simply because Singe deserved to know. They had both lost so much, brothers not in blood but in suffering.

The Tribe's place in his story came up. Padshiy crushing Icepetal's life beneath his giant jaws played once more across his eyelids like it did so often at night. The days of sitting by her side while she fought against infection came rushing back. The fear of losing her returned. With the Tribe's story came the execution, the capture, the imprisonment, the abandonment, and Willowclaw's final terrible deed that saw the end of Fuhren's Tribe.


	7. Chapter Seven: Mistake

**¢нαρтєя ѕєνєη: мιѕтαкє**

"I love you."

It was, in that moment, both the best and the worst thing he had ever heard. His pulse skyrocketed, heart felt like it would beat right out of his chest. No one would ever know just how amazing it had felt to hear those words slip out from between her lips, to look into her eyes and see not a lie but a searing truth. Everything paled in comparison. His wounds didn't sting, his lungs didn't burn, his body didn't cry out when he shifted. The entire world had been reduced to one creature, and one creature only.

But then, he knew it was a lie. He _knew_ without a shadow of a doubt that she was lying to him. Yes, there was something between them, but it wasn't love, not yet. Icepetal wouldn't love so quickly. He knew that, deep down. But by the stars did he want it to be true. When had he fallen so hard for her? Had it been that time they'd scrambled high up into a tree and just sat there, close enough for their fur to brush? Or had it been a slow, gradual slipping brought on by the many small things he'd began to notice by just watching her?

He'd always thought she was beautiful. Now he knew that beauty was inside as well as out. Icepetal was beautiful down to her very soul. She was beautiful in the light of the sun, she was beautiful in the darkness of the night, and she was beautiful fighting in the mud for someone she cared for.

Willowclaw had never been more in love with anyone that he was with Icepetal in that moment. But could he say those words back to her knowing that she had lied but he had not? Would he be able to stay trapped in the Tribe's territory for many moons to come surviving off of unrequited love?

He could see the tendrils of fear seeping into her eyes - her beautiful, beautiful eyes - and it drove thorns into his heart. There was no way he could let her leave this bloodied camp without hearing the words she had yearned to hear all her life. He opened his mouth and the truth came spilling out.

"I love you too."

There was so much more he wanted to say. He wanted to scream at the top of his lungs how much he loved her, wanted to whisper all the things he adored about her, wanted to curse the world for giving such a delightful creature to a monster like him. Most of all he wanted to beg her to come back, to make her promise to not die. He could sit here for seasons waiting for someone that had died to return. Would any of them come back?

"Out!" Fuhren ordered, "Valo, take a few others and make sure these four leave my territory. Have them understand the consequences should they return before Crimson's death."

Icepetal was hauled up off the ground. She didn't fight it, she was limp in the Tribe's cruel grip. Her fight had left her. Willowclaw could see the exhaustion weighing her down. She hadn't long left the safety of the healer's den and already she'd fought and killed. _Amazing_.

She didn't say a word, and neither did he.

"Willowclaw!" Rainpatch pushed against the cats holding him back. "Don't give up! We'll come back! We'll kill her!"

Bloodied and beaten but never defeated. Rainpatch should have known that by now. He gave the WaveClan warrior a rye grin, it twisted at his muddy muzzle. There would never be a creature great enough to defeat Willowclaw. He'd made that promise to himself long ago, back when he'd been his own worst enemy.

Eaglestrike looked him right in the eye and mouthed his last instructions. " _Make them pay."_ Then they were gone, the Tribe's jeers nipping at their heels. Even with an entire Tribe jostling within the camps confines, he felt impossibly lonely.

Far, far from home, trapped in a camp filled with cats that wanted his blood, cut off from the cats he might have someday called family. He hadn't felt that kind of loneliness since the day his parents had turned their back on him in RogueClan's forest. It wasn't a feeling he ever wanted to feel again, the way it sapped at his energy and lured the dark thoughts from the deepest parts of his mind was haunting.

He would not allow himself to breakdown now. Eaglestrike had given him a task, and he would make sure that that task was completed even if it cost him his life. It was the least he could do for the friends that might be travelling to their deaths.

Fuhren cleared his throat obnoxiously. "Someone dispose of those bodies before they start stinking. Throw them in the river or something, I don't care, just get them out."

Anger gifted Willowclaw a final drop of strength. "No," he shoved his way to his paws, staring defiantly up at the Tribe's leader, "I will bury them. They deserve more than to be just thrown away. No cat deserves to have their corpse thrown away like carrion." He turned an accusatory glare onto Blute, "all should be buried."

"Fine, but you won't get any help. I'll leave you to drag them from the camp and find a pretty hill to bury them under. Have Tau look at you afterwards. Can't have our hostage keeling over from an infected wound, now can we?" Fuhren looked smug. To his Tribe he said, "back to hunting and patrolling, no more dawdling, our territory is our own again."

Willowclaw curled his lip. He didn't need help to bury Felix and Sadie. They could rest on the hill he'd watched the sun set from after he'd witness them executed. It was peaceful there, and far enough away from the camp for them to truly get the rest they deserved. They had run straight from the mouth of one monster into the claws of another.

He stepped gingerly over to Felix's body, eyeing the ragged gash in his throat. It still dripped red, adding to the puddle bathing his head. He looked so small, so weak, so _broken_. Willowclaw pressed his nose gently to the ex-soldier's forehead and breathed past the faint scent of death to inhale Felix's scent. Open air and wet grass, the smell of rain and a touch of something sweeter. He squeezed his eyes shut.

"I'm so sorry," he murmured. "I should have sent you away. You put your trust in me, and I failed you, failed you both."

Carefully he grasped the broken cat's body and began to drag it away, fully aware of the leering stares he was receiving. They could stare all they wanted. He was going to give Felix and Sadie the burial they deserved.

The ground under his paws was wet and slippery, the air tainted with death. A rising hysteria threatened to overwhelm him, bubbling up his throat, sinking cruel barbs into his mind. His breath heaved from his lungs, and with it came fragile, broken sounds. Felix's body was heavy with the weight of failure and betrayal. His body stunk of lies.

Willowclaw grabbed at the grass with his claws to make the final step up the hill, and swallowed the hysteria back down. It could wait. This could not. Briefly he debated digging a shallow grave for Felix and then going back for Sadie, but then he decided that they should be buried together, wrapped up in the tight embrace of death - tails and paws entangled for eternity.

Sadie was heavier. Her calico fur was plastered to her sides, skin torn and mutilated. The middle of her spine bent at an awful angle. Her eyes, dull and lifeless, still seemed to scream with pain; face contorted into a final wail. He tried not to notice the bulge in her stomach, tried not to think of the possibility that new life had been blossoming within the safety of her womb. Life was frail. Willowclaw uttered a quiet apology to the tiny lives he had inadvertently destroyed.

The sky above the Tribe's territory had turned a vicious black, thick clouds encroaching on what had been shaping up to be an impressive sunset. In the distance thunder grumbled, and small flashes lit up intricate designs in the clouds. On the sharp wind came the scent of rain.

Beneath his paws the ground gave way. He dug with his claws, not caring that he might be blunting them, shoving away hunks of grass and dirt. An unpleasant burn started in his shoulders. It seeped along his spine and worked its way down to his legs. A claw snagged on a root and tore away. Ants bit into his skin. Still he continued.

Willowclaw did not stop until the grave was deep enough and wide enough for the corpses to rest comfortably. With a grunt he hauled himself out of the hole, wincing as his whole body protested the movement. He sucked in a long breath to fill his starving lungs.

The hysteria was back, a laugh escaping from his throat. Even from the hill he could feel the Tribe's burning stares. Fuhren had called him a hostage. No longer an ally or a friend, but a prisoner all because he had gone out of his way to help a crumbling group. _Should've left them to rot,_ he thought bitterly and dropped Felix into the grave. He ignored the heavy thud.

Would they kill him? How long would Fuhren wait for an answer that would never come? Would Icepetal be pointed in the direction of a mound of earth when she returned? He growled and let Sadie slip from between his teeth.

Ignoring his aching body he began pushing the upturned dirt back into the grave. With each shove a little more of their bodies were covered, a little more of their story vanished, a little more of their impossible future crumbled. He realised as he filled the grave that he was locking them up forever. No cat, save for the Tribe cats not that they seemed to care, would know that two bodies rested under the hill. Two stories lost in the dirt.

"I'll tell everyone about you," he promised to the disturbed dirt. "Everyone should know that soldiers aren't always willing."

The clouds above him gave way with a loud crack. Rain slid down his pelt, chilled his skin, soothed his burning muscles. Willowclaw stood in the storm, alone, lost, confused, abandoned, questioning everything and everyone. If he closed his eyes he could see his parents turning their backs on him, except this time they aren't his parents, they're Eaglestrike and Littleflame and Rainpatch and _Icepetal_ , and they look down at him with disgust in their eyes before turning their backs on him forever.

He begged and pleaded for them to not go, silent wails that sounded like agonised screams in his head, but his cries fell on deaf ears. _Alone._

A harsh bark of laughter broke free from his throat, followed by hysterical giggles. He wondered what he might look like to anyone watching, the tough warrior reduced to twisted laughter. "You told me I'd be alone one day," he crowed, "told me no one would want me. Guess everything you said came true in the end, didn't it?"

"What do you mean no one would want you?" Blute squinted at him through the slanting rain, "why would you think no one wants you?"

He was speechless, the words stuck behind a knot in his throat. "Because it's true?" he managed to choke out.

"It certainly didn't look that way earlier. Didn't you see what Icepetal was willing to do to save you? She would have killed all of us if it meant saving you. They wanted you to leave with them, Willowclaw, they didn't want to abandon you - we _made_ them abandon you." She looked sad, eyes downcast and ears sagging.

"Why didn't you stop Fuhren?" There's no fight in his voice when he speaks. It's all gone. Now he's just tired: tired and beaten. "Why did you let him kill Felix and Sadie?"

Blute's gaze lingered on the damp soil. "I have no power over him. He's sick, Willowclaw, his mind is diseased. Crimson did something to him, broke something inside him. I can't stop him from doing anything, none of us can. We're following a broken leader, becoming a broken Tribe."

"Kill him then."

"He's my _father_ , Willowclaw. I want him to go back to the way he was, back to when he pushed the Tribe to its full strength. I don't _want_ to kill him."

"But you know you have to, don't you?" he pressed.

She flinched. "There isn't any other way, is there? He won't get better, I can see that now. He'll just get worse and worse. Eventually he'll destroy himself and take the whole Tribe down with him. I can't let him do that. As much as I love him the Tribe comes first, the Tribe always comes first."

"Then go deal with him. Stop bothering me about it."

Blute opened her mouth, hesitated, and then closed it. Her brow pinched. She seemed to be thinking over her next choice of words. "Do it for me." It wasn't a question, it wasn't even said with a questioning waver, it was a demand, a command. He glanced at her.

"No. I won't fight your battles for me. This Tribe hasn't done a thing for me, so why should I do a thing for them?" he sneered bitterly.

"We healed your she-cat."

"She's not…" Willowclaw bit back the rest of his sentence. She was his she-cat, but she mightn't think that. He refused to meet Blute's gaze, staring down at the grave as the storm roared overhead. The rain would wash away the blood in camp and the wind would carry away the scent of death. Sadie and Felix's lives would vanish with the storm, and it was the Tribe's fault. Fuhren's fault. _Blute's_ fault.

He could kill her. The thunder would hide her screams. He could avenge them. He could kill her and leave the Tribe's territory, find the others, find Icepetal. It would be so easy, Crimson had taught him the simplest ways to kill. But...he could kill her slowly. A sly grin slid onto his muzzle.

"I won't force you to help us, but if Fuhren vanishes under mysterious circumstances, the Tribe would be much more concerned with finding him than finding a missing hostage," Blute spoke slowly, each word heavy with betrayal. Should the Tribe find out she had let an important hostage go they'd kill her, or exile her. She wasn't sure which one was worse: dying immediately, or starving to death.

"Are you trying to manipulate me?" Willowclaw growled, eyes narrowing. "I refuse to help you, and I refuse to help this Tribe. So leave me alone."

Days blended into one another, becoming a mess in Willowclaw's mind. He was slowly losing his sanity, losing his grip on the world. No one spoke to him, no one even looked at him. The Tribe treated him like a ghost, a phantom, like he wasn't even there. He would have preferred their jeers and mocking stares, anything other than silence. Not even Blute spoke to him anymore.

He needed to speak to someone. His mind was beginning to blacken. It was beginning to return to the state it had been during the first few moons after his abandonment. Lurking shadows, unknown voices, strange urges, they haunted his subconscious.

The state of his dreams was another matter entirely.

Each night they died in a different way. Swallowed up by the ground. Burnt alive in a roaring forest fire. Tossed from a mountain top. Shattered under heavy paws. Suffocating in an ever growing pile of rotting bodies. Drowning in blood. Broken. Dying. Howling. Wailing.

Each night he had to watch Icepetal scream his name, beg him to save her, knowing that he could never reach her in time.

He sat beside the grave, now just a slight grassy raise in the ground, and cried. Cold tears ran down his cheeks, wetting his paws. He couldn't handle anymore nightmares. They were tearing him apart inside, ripping into his heart. He hated sleeping. He hated the night. He hated what the Tribe had reduced him to: a snivelling mess unable to even think straight.

"You wouldn't trust me with your lives if you saw me now," Willowclaw snarled. "I wouldn't blame you either."

" _You've changed."_

His heart came to a shuddering halt. That voice, that _perfect_ voice, it had been so long since he'd heard it. Oh how he'd longed to hear it. "Icepetal?"

There she was, stepping up over the lip of the hill, blue eyes gentle and muzzle pulled up into a bright smile. Her fur was groomed to perfection like usual. Icepetal was standing before him in all her wondrous glory, smiling at him like he was the most important thing in the world. " _Hello, Willowclaw. I've missed you."_

"I've missed you too," his voice cracked. "You have no idea how much I've missed you."

" _You're alive. I thought the Tribe would have killed you,_ " she breathed, slinking closer with precise steps.

He shook his head, "I wouldn't let them kill me. I wouldn't let you come home to a grave."

" _Always thinking of me,"_ she purred, " _so admirable. Have they been looking after you?"_

"They give me prey, and space. Plenty of space. No one's allowed to talk to me, Fuhren forbid the Tribe from even looking at me. It's hard having no one to talk to," Willowclaw admitted quietly. Since when had he ever had a problem with being ignored?

Icepetal drew her tail softly against his flank, " _you don't have to be alone anymore. Just come to me, come to me and you won't be alone."_

He jerked away from her touch. "What do you mean come to you? You're already here!"

" _Come find me, Willowclaw. Come find me. Come save me. Save me, Willowclaw. SAVE ME."_

There was blood, so much blood, flowing from her mouth. She choked on it, spitting it into Willowclaw's face, coating him in it. A long gash opened up along her throat. More red found its freedom. Her white chest turned scarlet. Her eyes rolled. A hoarse laugh gurgled from her torn throat. She was fading, fading so fast, body slumping.

He blinked, and Icepetal was gone.

Willowclaw broke. The cry that rattled from his throat could have been compared to the scream of a dying animal. It hurt his throat, made it raw, but he couldn't stop it. His utterly broken howl echoed through the night, rebounding off the hills, filling the stifling night.

He loved her, and every night he had to watch her die. She loved him, and every night she died for him.

Turning with a stumble he abandoned the grave, searching the dark grassland with his burning eyes. He needed to talk to someone, anyone that would listen. There was only one cat in the entire Tribe that might just say something back to him.

Beneath him his paws shook violently. Each step was a struggle, a battle. But he had to do it. He had to do it for Icepetal, for Eaglestrike, for Rainpatch, and Littleflame. They needed him when they came back, even if it was just to listen. He didn't dare think what terrible things they'd been going through.

The twisted tangles of the tall oak loomed over him, gnarled and brutish in the red light of the moon. He sought out the den furthest from the rest. Quietly he peeked inside, spying the sleeping mound towards the back. Tortoiseshell fur rose and fell with soft breaths.

He squeezed into the den and gently nosed her flank. "Blute," Willowclaw whispered. "Blute, wake up, please, wake up."

"Willowclaw?" her voice was thick with sleep. "What are you doing? It's late. Go away."

"Please," he hoped she could hear the desperation in his voice, "I need someone to talk to. No one will talk to me. Please, at least just listen. Please."

Blute's eyes were foggy when she opened them. She looked him up and down, taking in his heaving flanks and shaking shoulders, before tapping the ground by her nest with a paw. "Sit. No one can find out about this, Willowclaw. Fuhren's rules are absolute."

He all but collapsed against the ground, sucking in a deep breath. "I know," he sighed, "I know."

She shuffled closer, pressing her warm flank against his freezing side. Willowclaw flinched when he felt her tongue rasped against his dripping fur. "You're freezing. Let me warm you up while you tell me what's wrong."

So he did. All his insecurities, fears, all his nightmares, he told Blute everything. It had been so long since anyone had listened to him that everything just came flooding out. Just as Blute promised she didn't say a thing, just listened to everything he had to say while slowly cleaning the rain and mud from his pelt. He wasn't shivering anymore. Her body heat was slowly making its way over to him. It was nice.

His eyes began to droop but the words kept coming, they were slurred, but they still spilled from his lips like a flood. Blute rested her head on his shoulder and breathed, "stay here and sleep, Willowclaw."

The den was warm, Blute was warm, his mind was sluggish. It seemed like a good idea at the time, staying in that warmth rather than braving the rain outside. If he could have known what would be the consequence of that one night of companionship he would have run.

He couldn't see the future, so he stayed.

He stayed in the den and dreamt of a white she-cat drowning in red, all the while another watched over him with far too much softness in her eyes.

When Blute uncurled her body from his the next morning she asked him, "will you do it? I'll get you out if you do, I'll let you go."

He knew he couldn't survive if he stayed in the Tribe any longer. "I'll do it. I'll kill Fuhren for you." What was one more body? What was one more life destroyed by his claws? He could become that monster again. He would do it, he would do anything to get away; anything to find _her_ again. "When?"

"We need a plan."

A moon later Willowclaw stood before Fuhren, looking the massive tom in the eyes, lying through his teeth, begging the Tribe's leader to hear him out. " _Tell him you reconsidered his offer, tell him you want to talk to him about it in private. He's drawn to power, he wants the Tribe to have another leader like him."_

Fuhren looked him up and down, amber eyes squinting in deliberation. A cruel, calculating smile tugged at his muzzle, spreading across his narrow face. _He looks like a fox._ Willowclaw felt like prey, trapped in the camp of a predator. He met Fuhren's sharp eyes and felt a pain. Did Fuhren want him to become the next leader because he thought they were the same? Was that really how he came across?

"A little isolation worked out well, didn't it?" Fuhren purred, voice like grinding rocks. "I always know what's best for my cats."

Willowclaw flinched. _My cats._ "Can we talk somewhere else?"

"If that's what you want, future leader. Perhaps I might even give you a little lesson on Tribe culture," Fuhren rose to his full height, towering over Willowclaw. "Though I suppose Blute might be the better one for that."

The sky above was a clash of white and blue. Thick clouds smeared themselves heavily across dark blue, fat and heavy. A sunhigh glow cast a lazy feel to the day. Leaf fall didn't affect the Tribe like it did the Clans. There were no freezing winds, no smell of leaf bare on the horizon. Storms rolled through regularly.

Far behind them was a hill and on top of that hill was a grave no one visited anymore.

They walked in silence, making their way away from the camp in the direction of the forest where Padshiy had roamed. It was still eerily silent among the trees, and it still reeked of death. Though the ancestor was gone he would never be forgotten. There was a pile of rotting corpses to make sure of that. They sat just outside the forest, far enough away that the stench couldn't reach them with its sickly tendrils.

"What changed your mind, Willowclaw?"

"I had a moon of silence to think about it. Being alone put everything into perspective," Willowclaw admitted, because it was true.

Fuhren grinned, "and your answer is?"

It was far too easy to turn on Fuhren with a monstrous smile and say: "I'm going to leave you to rot." He swiped a paw up, catching Fuhren on the chin, knocking the leader onto his side. The blow was dizzying, the ground spinning under the Tribe cat's paws. There would be no time for him to find his balance. Willowclaw grabbed Fuhren's scruff in his teeth, yanked his head back, and touched his claws to the bared throat.

"Feel familiar?" he snarled through a mouthful of fur.

"You'll doom this tribe," Fuhren writhed under Willowclaw's grip, but the tabby had him locked against the ground, firm paws trapping his shoulders. "You'll kill them all."

"No he won't."

Fuhren's last vision was that of his daughter walking towards him, grim-faced but strong, before his actions were given a swift punishment. Claws cleaved through his throat. Blood sprayed and sputtered. He heaved and gasped. The whites of his eyes grew, and Fuhren's final words were a pitiful cry for help.

Willowclaw dropped Fuhren's head, enjoying the satisfying thud it made. "One less monster in the world. Plenty more left to go," he muttered.

"Thank you," Blute placed a paw on her father's head, "for doing what I wasn't strong enough to do."

"Killing should never come easy. Be thankful you can't bring yourself to do it," Willowclaw glanced down at the puddle of scarlet. "It's far too easy for me."

She shook her head. "You kill those that deserve it."

"My sister didn't deserve it," he snapped. "Don't pretend like you know me. We aren't friends," his eyes were drawn to bulge of her stomach, "we aren't anything."

Blute nodded stiffly. "I know. The Tribe will never know whose they are. You've done what I asked, so I'll do what I said. You're free, Willowclaw, free to go wherever you please. But...can I ask you to stay one more time?"

"You already know what the answer is." He tore his eyes away from her stomach, "I won't come back here, and you won't come looking for me, that's what we promised. You never existed to me, and I never existed to you. It's the way it has to be."

She became the leader he knew she could be, not a shred of weakness in her drawn up stance. "Goodbye, Willowclaw. I hope you find the end you're searching for."

"The only end I'm searching for is the end of Crimson. Goodbye, Blute."

Fuhren's Tribe died, and a new one was born from the ashes. Willowclaw chased the shadows of his friends, arriving just in time to see the one he loved fall from the world. Far, _far_ , behind him, three tiny lives entered the world, the evidence of Willowclaw's greatest mistake.


	8. Chapter Eight: Split

**¢нαρтєя єιgнт: ѕρℓιт**

Far down in the valley the ground rumbled and a flash nearly as bright as the sun woke the sleeping world; the roar that came after it made sure everyone was paying attention. Fire arced high into the sky, thrown up amongst boiling clouds of black. Flecked in amongst the dark clouds, nestled comfortably, were glowing embers. They rose and fell lazily, floating on the gusts in the air. Stuck to the ground bright flames roamed through the trees, cackling as they devoured all. The dark clouds swelled in size and moved, shifting restlessly. They carried with them the stench of burning, and the acrid tang of ash.

Sunrise stared open mouthed at the blackness, eyes rounded, fur bristling. It was beautiful in a chaotic way, the way the embers were so perfectly accompanied by those dark, _dark_ clouds. The smell, however, was less appealing. It was a putrid smell that drifted on the wind. A fleck of ash landed on her nose. She sneezed it off.

"Don't let the ash get in your eyes." Eaglestrike stood beside her, all tense muscles and unsure expressions. She watched his throat move around an uncomfortable swallow and realised that he had no idea what was going on. The warrior didn't know why the sky burned, or why the ground rumbled like it was hungry. She wondered, briefly, if it would open up underneath them and devour them all.

"What will it do?" she asked quietly.

He blinked ash off his eyelashes. "It'll hurt."

RogueClan hunched together in the cold, the guards for that night, wary eyes glinting in the sharp moonlight. Willowclaw left his brother's side, muzzle pulled into a frown. "I've never seen anything like that before," he muttered to Eaglestrike.

"You didn't see Tornheart burn the sky, or Crimson turn the clouds into a monster. This is nothing compared to that."

"Didn't really have enough time to stop and admire the pretty sky," Willowclaw snorted.

Eaglestrike side-eyed Willowclaw, "had plenty of time to do all those things Crimson told you."

"We don't need to talk about that," he snarled.

Sunrise cocked her head. What was Eaglestrike talking about? Willowclaw hated Crimson, he would have never done anything she'd said. Then again, it wasn't as if she'd known them nearly as long as they'd known each other. She'd heard stories about what they'd been like before the journey, cats that didn't exist anymore. Littleflame had sounded nice, so had Rainpatch. She supposed a terrible journey like they'd been on had the power to change cats.

Yet, she couldn't picture Willowclaw standing alongside her mother, razing the world to the ground. Could she even picture her mother doing that? Sunrise closed her eyes, and imagined it: a world burning, ground buckling, howling and screaming, blood in rivers, and Willowclaw standing alongside Crimson watching it all with matching looks of content.

No. It looked too fake. The maniacal glints in their eyes looked too out of place, the blood running from their fur too bright, and the screams shattering the air more like the cry of angry gulls.

"We will at some point." It sounded like a threat, and Willowclaw bristled at it.

"RogueClan," Aspenthorn looked most disgruntled at having been woken before sunrise, "what the heck is that? I thought you lot were supposed to be on watch."

"Ah yes, sorry, Aspenthorn, for not being able to stop a giant explosion. Did it interrupt your beauty sleep? I am so very sorry," Singe seethed.

Aspenthrown scowled, "don't talk down to me, RogueClanner."

"Don't act like you're more important than the rest of us then," Singe spat back.

"Oh, shut _up_ , you giant pile of foxdung," Icepetal snarled. Her fur was rumpled with sleep, sticking up in awkward angles all over the place. The look of disgust on her face was one that none of the Chosen had ever seen before. Willowclaw had the sneaking suspicion that it was a look reserved just for Aspenthorn and no one else. "It's down in the valley, not in the mountains."

"How dare you talk to your leader like that!" Aspenthorn thrust his muzzle into Icepetal's face. The movement only incited a lazy blink from the she-cat.

Sunrise grinned, she liked seeing Icepetal shout at someone.

"I was under the impression Amory was leader," Icepetal yawned, and shouldered past Aspenthorn, sights set on where Willowclaw waited patiently with a stupid grin stuck on his face. "Or did that suddenly change overnight?"

Aspenthorn's mouth flapped like a fish, then fell shut with a clack. "Go back to your friends, rogue."

"Sorry," Icepetal didn't even flinch at the insult, "you're stuck with me for a while longer, Aspenthorn dear."

"He seems nice," Willowclaw ran his muzzle along Icepetal's spine.

She shrugged, "he's always been like that. Care to explain what the big plume of smoke is?"

They could only offer her shrugs. What could they say about the spreading smoke? It was thinning out the further it stretched, but the thick black still spewed from the valley in waves. A faint orange hue peeked through the trees in the distance. One of the only things Sunrise really liked about the basin she now lived in was the incredible view from one side, where the round stone edges dropped off into nothing, and the entire valley could be seen.

She'd spent most of the previous day just watching the valley. Birds wheeled high, their cries torn away by the wind. It was pretty, what was left of it. The crashing ocean could just be heard in the distance, crashing into the no-doubt jagged cliffs. The shadows moved. She'd wanted to go down there and see the world her adopted family had been born into.

"The same thing's happened three times this moon. Each time the fire burns fiercer, and for longer," Singe explained quietly, shifting away from his Clan in favour of sitting beside his brother. He gave Icepetal a long look. She returned it equally.

"Is there something down there?" Eaglestrike mused aloud. "What could make an explosion that big?"

Singe had enough humility to at least look a little guilty. "If I could tell you, I would. Just understand that you not knowing is for the best. We live here now. The valley is just a bad memory."

"A bad memory?" Icepetal spat, "we all grew up in that valley. How can you say it was just a bad memory? Can't you remember playing with your siblings in the confines of the nursery? Have you forgotten long days of training with your mentor that left you aching? Down there is our home."

"Down there is only death and chaos. Feel free to take your chances with the monsters that crawl in the shadows. No one will come for your corpse," Singe snapped back, eyes alight with loss and pain. A stranger stood before him almost _demanding_ he think of that pit of death as his home. There was nothing down there for him anymore. "No one went for Rose."

Willowclaw visibly flinched. He'd always liked Rose, she'd been a good match for Singe. Now she lay in that rotting pit in RogueClan's camp, bones tangled with another's. Perhaps she still clutched the fragile white of her departed kits, protecting them even in death.

"No one could. You know what's down there, Singe. We all lost someone that moon, we all know how you feel." Aspenthorn sounded like a mature warrior for once. "I know it must be tough for you three to come home and find that home doesn't exist anymore, but we've made the mountains our home now. I think it's time you come to terms with that. Forget about the valley. It's a lost cause. Amory takes care of us up here, he's a good leader."

"We never said he wasn't a good leader. I think he's done a great job to bring six Clans together in one place to live in harmony. Seasons of instinct had to be changed for him to do that. Amory's a strong leader, and you all look up to him," Eaglestrike said. His grip on Sunrise tightened and then loosened rythmically.

Icepetal's nostrils flared, but a sharp look from Willowclaw had her doing nothing more than biting her tongue. Sharp, barbed words sat heavy in her mouth, all of them aimed at Eaglestrike and his stupid, _stupid_ , head. How dare he speak for them all like he knew what they were thinking. Amory had made the Clans subservient. That certainly did not make him an ideal leader. Her suspicions had no evidence however, so that's all they were: suspicions.

"Whatever," Aspenthorn snorted. "Icepetal, you're going on a border patrol along with your friends after dawn.. Amory wants you all to know our territory. Can't have one of you falling off a cliff mid-hunt, that'd be a real shame."

A soft light was blossoming out from behind Crimson's mountain. Sunrise twisted her neck to watch the dawn spill further into the sky, spreading out from her old home. Tinges of pink, and warm gold, mixed with morning blue to scrap away night's embrace.

"Who's leading the patrol?" Willowclaw dropped into a low stretch, chest brushing the grass.

Aspenthorn nodded towards a slender, dark gray she-cat. Her pelt sported striking white stripes, and a daunting amount of scars - fresh and old. "Crackingice."

"She looks young," Eaglestrike commented.

"Everyone was forced to grow up far too quickly," Singe muttered. "Crackingice is lucky to be alive, all of RisingClan is lucky to be alive. Singingriver made a stupid decision to stay in the valley for so long."

"Don't be so hard on her. She's suffered for her decision, and she knows she was wrong. Don't forget she had to watch most of her Clan perish," Eaglestrike hissed.

Singe shrugged, "a leader shouldn't put their Clan to death because of their stupid pride."

"Where's my patrol!?" Crackingice yowled.

"Time to go," Icepetal rolled her shoulders and stifled a yawn. "About time we got back to normal Clan duties. I bet you can't even remember how to patrol, Willowclaw."

He grinned at her, "is that a challenge?" They left bickering amongst themselves, eyes full of love.

"What am I supposed to do?" Sunrise nudged her head against Eaglestrike's leg. "I can't come with you, right?"

"No," Eaglestrike sighed, leaning down to run his tongue along her head, "you can't come with us. Kits have to stay in the camp until they become apprentices. One more moon and you'll be there. Before you know it you'll be a warrior." He groaned. "Now I'm feeling old. Will you look after her, Singe?"

There was no missing the look of disgust that crossed Singe's face, a deep-rooted fear of Crimson instinctively telling him to hate her offspring. Then his face softened into a gentle expression. Sunrise was a kit regardless of her lineage, and Singe had a soft spot for tiny cats. _Maybe Hope will get along with her_.

"Of course. Come on, Sunrise, would you like to meet my daughter?"

Sunrise looked up at Eaglestrike for permission and he nodded, "I'll be back later. Have fun." It was strangely difficult for him to turn his back on the kit, to walk away and leave her in the care of someone he didn't altogether trust. "Clan cats are bound by the Code to take care of kits," he reminded himself quietly. _But does the Code still govern a Clan Amory leads?_

"I think you'll like Hope," Singe drew Sunrise away from the edge of the basin and towards one of the large dens hugging the sheer stone sides. He didn't seem like a scary cat, just a little afraid of something that Sunrise didn't know. Was it whatever was lurking in the valley? It seemed that all the Clan cats were afraid of the monster down there. Did they think it could find them up here as well? She hoped it couldn't. Icepetal hadn't taught her much about fighting yet.

"What's she like?" she asked, almost running to keep up with Singe's long strides.

Singe hummed thoughtfully. "Well, she's a little quiet, but that's only because she's shy. She's really...she's a lot like her mother. Quiet, but full of life. Soft-spoken, but constantly asking questions. Shy, but as friendly as any other kit."

"Was her mother nice?"

"Hmm? Rose? Oh..yes. Rose was incredibly nice, she didn't have a bad bone in her body. She was...she was just perfect." His brave smile crumbled, "I guess it just wasn't meant to be. Hope is all I need, she's just as perfect as her mother."

Sunrise blinked. "It's alright to be sad, you know? Like I get you're trying to be strong for Hope, but sometimes being strong means knowing it's okay to be sad."

"I..I'm not sad," Singe sputtered.

"Okay," she smiled. "Can we go see Hope?"

"Right, yes, of course. Just in there, she's with Flight." It was the most bizarre feeling to look down at a small kit with mismatched eyes and think about Crimson lurking over her. So far Sunrise had been nothing but lovely, and it was clear that she cared. But was her mind like her eyes: split?

The den was warm and filled with dawn's soft light. Flight was talking quietly with Heathersky, their kits playing rough and tumble together. When Sunrise stepped in, followed by Singe, they paused to greet the two. Sunrise was immensely pleased that they didn't treat her like an enemy. In fact the two queens were more than friendly, they were almost motherly.

They fussed over her, poking and prodding at her sides, and then introduced her to their kits. Flight had two, though Hope made it three; Silver and Dawn. Heathersky had four: Swiftkit, Bramblekit, Gullkit, and Wavekit.

Just like Singe had said, Hope appeared shy. She stood behind all the other kits, who were far bigger than her, with wide eyes. Sunrise smiled at her, hoping it would make her feel a little braver. "I'm Sunrise," she announced.

Midway through a game of catch with a ball of moss, Sunrise felt someone come up behind her. "Your eyes are pretty," Hope mumbled. "I've never seen eyes like yours before."

"Really? I think they're a little weird." She didn't mention how whenever she saw her reflection they reminded her of her parents, and the terrible things they'd apparently done. They weren't pretty. They were a beacon to the world.

Hope smiled at the ground, "yeah. I like them."

"Your fur's cool," Sunrise smacked the moss-ball over towards Gullkit. "I wish I had fur like that."

"Singe says I look like my mother. I guess that's a good thing. The white circle on your shoulder is different. Were you born with it?"

Sunrise mewed, "yep! The only bit of white on me. Do you want to play with the others?"

"Definitely," Hope purred.

When Crackingice returned with her patrol, the kits were playing out in the open under the watchful eyes of the two queens. Singe had been called away on a hunting patrol. It hadn't bothered Sunrise, she'd been having fun with cats her own age for once. They weren't mean like the older Clan cats who looked down at her in disgust, and anger. She hated that they thought it was okay to treat her like her mother. They were two different cats. It just wasn't fair.

Hope nudged her out of her thoughts. "Your friends are back."

She barely had enough time to do more than blink before she was scooped up in Willowclaw's mouth and deposited on Icepetal's back. "Let me down! I'm going to fall!" Sunrise giggled, swatting at the back of Icepetal's head. The SnowClanner feigned hurt, slumping to the ground with a defeated cry. "It's alway so easy to beat you!"

"Never underestimate your enemy," Icepetal rolled over and squished Sunrise. She felt the tiny little paws pummelling against her head. Five heartbeats later she freed the struggling kit, ending up getting an earful from a very annoyed Sunrise. "We always get back up again."

"Are you finally going to teach me some _interesting_ battle moves?" Sunrise slouched over Icepetal's face.

"Mm, but I'm so tired," she huffed. "Get Willowclaw too."

The tabby in question snorted and jabbed Icepetal in the ribs. "No way, you're the 'greatest fighter ever' remember?"

"I thought we agreed to never mention that again," Icepetal glared at him.

He pouted, "it was funny."

"Was this that time Icepetal claimed to be the greatest fighter ever and then fell off that log?" Eaglestrike had joined them now, cheeky grin directed at the fuming she-cat. "It _was_ funny."

"Oh! I remember that!" Sunrise squawked.

"Nope! No one remembers it! We've all forgotten about it, now can we _please_ talk about something else," Icepetal buried her face in her paws.

"How could we forget?" Willowclaw lay down beside her, resting his head on her flank. It almost felt peaceful.

" _Icepetal!_ "

She opened her mouth to release a throaty growl. "Why does he _always_ have to ruin perfectly good moments? What do you _want,_ Aspenthorn!? I've done your patrol, leave me alone for a little while at least."

"Oh no," he strode over, trying to look as regal as Amory, who had yet to make an appearance. "You and I need to have a discussion. This here," he indicated to her and Willowclaw, "needs to cease."

Icepetal arched a brow. " _Why?_ It isn't hurting anyone."

"It's wrong. He's a RogueClan warrior, you're a SnowClan warrior. Even you, of all cats, should know that that's wrong," Aspenthorn sniffed.

"Hang on. There aren't six Clans anymore. We're all one big Clan, so why does it matter who Icepetal decides to be mates with?" Eaglestrike questioned.

Aspenthorn curled his lip, "there are still lines that need to be maintained. Inter-Clan relationships are one of those lines. We don't need anymore cats with twisted loyalties." The look he gave Icepetal was pointed and full of hatred.

"Yeah well, too bad. Being one Clan means being one Clan. You can't pick and choose how much of a Clan you all want to be. I'm not going to just stop loving Willowclaw because you've decided you don't like it," Icepetal sneered. "You aren't a leader, so stop acting like one."

"Lightningfall died because of you!" Aspenthorn screeched.

The basin came to a shuddering standstill, all eyes falling on the bristling tomcat and the surprisingly calm she-cat. Icepetal shoved Willowclaw and Sunrise away, rising to her paws to fix Aspenthorn with a molten stare.

"He did not _die_ because of _me_. I have not seen him since the day I left, when I said goodbye to him and told him I'd come home," Icepetal snarled. "What he did after that moment had nothing to do with me. I am not responsible for any of the stupid decisions he made."

"If you hadn't have seduced him he would have stayed with the Clan, stayed with the spirit of his mate! But no, he had to go chasing after you. He thought you loved him and here you are allowing some other tom to drape himself all over you. You're a fox, Icepetal, and you have no heart left in your body. Oakheart should have left you and your siblings to die, should have left you to bleed out that night in the snow," Aspenthorn's face was twisted up into a bitter smile. "He was giving you away to Crimson's soldiers, wasn't he? He was trying to buy the Clan time with your life, and you just had to fight back."

Icepetal's whole body had gone rigid. "Lightningfall had his time! I gave him everything and he gave me nothing back in return. I was not going to sit around like some moony little apprentice waiting for a tom that loved another. He was never mine, and I was never his. Am I upset that he's missing? Yes. He was a good friend regardless of whatever happened between us. But I have moved on. Maybe you should too."

"Do you expect me just to forget my brother!? He deserves vengeance! You are the reason he's dead, Icepetal, it was you he was chasing after, it was you he decided to love. He was too good for you. He didn't deserve a broken, twisted, messed up, _rogue_ , for a mate."

He hit the ground with a bone-shaking thud, Icepetal hovering over him with all her rage scrawled across her face; it rested in her pinched brow, sunk into her wrinkled nose, pooled in her anguished eyes. "No one is too good for me. No one _deserves_ me. I am not some thing to just be handed off to whoever you think is lowly enough to have me. I am a Chosen. I am powerful. I killed Frozengaze, and I will kill you too."

Aspenthorn's face broke into a hideous smile. "Did you hear that, SnowClan?" Icepetal snapped her head up to see her Clan, and the other Clans, staring at her. "Our great Icepetal wants to kill me! Look at her, look at the way she practically buzzes with murder! She's already killed Lightningfall, she snapped and tried to kill me before she ran away, and she's trying to kill me again! Do we really want this kind of a cat sleeping beside us at night where she can just roll over and slit one of our throats?"

"What are you _talking_ about, Aspenthorn?" Dustclaw exclaimed. "Icepetal would never do that."

"But look at her, she looks like a murderer."

"What if Aspenthorn's right?"

"He's always been right."

"I guess it comes down to a decision. Who do we trust more? Him or her?"

"What does he plan on doing?"

Kicking Icepetal in the gut, Aspenthorn knocked her to the ground and towered over her. "I'll tell you what I'm going to do with her. She wasn't around to hear this the last time, so I'll just have to do it again-"

"Don't say it," Willowclaw thundered. "Don't you dare say it. Icepetal has been through so much and she does not deserve what you are about to say. She's leaving SnowClan, she's coming to Rogueclan. You might not want her but I do. You might not love her but I do, and I know that Icepetal is so much better than this Clan."

Aspenthorn looked Willowclaw right in the eye and said, "Icepetal you are exiled from SnowClan."

Sunrise's mouth fell open, and her heart hurt for Icepetal. The warrior was staring at Aspenthorn with so much hurt in her eyes. But then she saw something that was so much worse. Icepetal allowed a single tear to slip from the corner of one eye before Willowclaw swept her away from the burning stares of her former Clan mates.


	9. Chapter Nine: Mirror

**¢нαρтєя ηιηє: мιяяσя**

"Are you prepared for this life?"

The world around her resembled a murky forest, mist pooling around moss-choked tree trunks, wet leaf-mould making up the ground beneath her paws, and sparse undergrowth. She stretched her neck back to peer upwards. A midnight sky winked at her through dark leaves; no stars, no moon. The voice, it seemed, had no owner. It drifted in the air like a cloud, hovered around her head.

"Are you ready for your future?"

"Why wouldn't I be ready?" she whispered back, "it's _my_ future, I'll always be ready for it."

A chuckle rolled from the mist, "there are some things no cat is ready for. Do you think your mother was ready for her untimely death? Your father?"

"What do you know about my parents? Who are you?"

It uncurled itself from the dark bark of a tree, body formless and drifting, unnaturally white teeth pulled up into a crooked grin. Within its body of dark shadow glinted fiery orange eyes. Not once did it touch the ground, it floated above it, shifting with a breeze she could not feel. A shiver ran down her spine when it drew close, the temperature plummeting. Her breath gusted out in front of her.

"I am a lot of things, Sunrise, and I know a lot of things. You seem to be the centrepiece of all the things I know, they all point to you, a small little kit with blood so very tainted. I wonder why. No, I _know_ why. You are going to be a very special cat, Sunrise. Doesn't that excite you?"

"No...not really." But it _did,_ oh it did. She was going to be special! Wasn't that what every kit wanted to hear? She could show everyone that she wasn't evil, that Crimson hadn't been a bad mother at all. If she could just _show_ them and they could just _believe_ , everything would be okay. That wasn't too much to ask, was it?

"Don't lie to me," it's grin grew larger, "I can practically see you buzzing with excitement. Isn't it just wonderful to know that you won't grow up to be a boring warrior with no real purpose, like Aspenthorn! He wasn't born to be special."

Sunrise wrinkled her nose. "I don't think he could ever be special, he's too mean."

It came to a halt in front of her, unblinking eyes dimming ever so slightly. "Do you think what he did to Icepetal was fair?" it asked curiously.

She thought it's voice was strange - thin, reedy, and a little hoarse. "No! Icepetal didn't deserve to be exiled from her Clan just because he didn't like what she and Willowclaw have. I think he's just jealous. I bet he doesn't even have a mate, who would want to love _that_?"

It's laugh was unnerving. "Doesn't he deserve love, Sunrise?"

"Not for what he's done to Icepetal. He made her cry! How can anyone be worthy of love if they put others down!?" Sunrise huffed, swiping at a loose leaf resting near her paw. It shredded under her claws.

"You don't think everyone deserves love?"

"No. Some cats are just too horrible. Love is such a beautiful, pure thing. It shouldn't be ruined by cats that are dark and evil and twisted."

Ice cracked loudly as it spread through the forest. Like a taint it grew, latching onto every surface, racing up high into the treetops. Beneath her paws the leaf mould turned to white. In the distance she could have sworn she heard the skittering of paws, flashes of movement always just out of sight. She shrunk closer to the ground, fur bristling at the look of complete victory in the creature's eyes.

"Do you think your mother deserved love? Your father? Did they deserve each other? They were dark and evil and twisted. They put others down. They murdered. They stole. They burned. Did _they_ deserve the love you say is such a pure thing?"

Sunrise flinched away from the roar of fire that erupted in front of her face and singed her whiskers. The atmosphere was growing heavy, thick, with an almost palpable anger the creature was generating; low growls, harsh hisses, and narrowed eyes that spoke of bitterness. Why was it being so mean? It had started off nice, told her she was special, and now it was attacking her parents like everyone else did. Why did everyone _always_ have to talk about her parents?

"I'm _not them!"_ Sunrise shouted, "Does it matter if they deserved the love they had? Are you not going to wonder even a little if they thought what they were doing was right? Bad things aren't always easy to see! This stupid line between good and bad doesn't exist!"

"They live in you, Sunrise. Crimson peers through one of your eyes, Frozengaze through the other. You can't ever be free of them. The daughter of the destroyers, expected to become the same. Who will save you? Who will _want you?_ "

"Shut up, shut up, _shut up, shut UP!_ Get away from me, go away, stop talking. I don't even know who you are, you don't even know me. Are you having fun? Is this funny to you!?"

It stopped it's winding pacing as a sharp wind tore through the trees. A loud groan, it sounded like it came from every tree, echoed loudly. Laughter rang out from everywhere and nowhere. "You can leave whenever you want. This is a dream. No one's holding you here. _You're_ the reason you're still here. Something in you yearns for the darkness. Can't you feel it?"

"No," she hung her head miserably. "I don't yearn for the darkness. I don't want to be the mother everyone tells me I had. I want to be the mother _I_ thought I had. They were different cats. They were _different_."

"Are you going to leave then? Disappear back into the life you aren't ready for? Stay here, I'll teach you how to keep safe. I won't let a thing happen to you."

Everything was taking on a faded hue, colours dribbling like blood to pool in sickly puddles. It lapped at her paws, and it was sickeningly warm. The creature looked at her with what she thought was pity, maybe even a little affection. She desperately wanted to know who it was. But it was a dream. Fake.

"You aren't real." She felt faint, dizzy, far away - like she was stuck underwater.

It's grin grew so wide it's face cracked, and shattered. "Aren't I?"

The dream collapsed in on itself and Sunrise lurched violently awake, nearly knocking Hope straight out of the nest they were sharing. Her heart raced in its bone cage, pulse thundering frantically. Rapidly rising flanks mirrored overworking lungs. Each breath was accompanied by a sharp pain, like claws prodding at her insides. She felt queasy.

 _It was just a dream. Just a dream. Nothing real._

Yet everything the creature had said had been relatively true, and yet again it had all come down to her parents. Her throat felt thick, heart heavy. She needed Icepetal, or Eaglestrike, or Willowclaw. She just needed one of them, any one of them. They'd understand. They always understood.

Outside the air held a slight chill, but it was barely there. Warmer moons were waiting for their allotted time in the world. The sky was clear and full of stars, though dark clouds heavy with rain massed beyond the mountains. A fat moon looked to be struggling in its journey of the sky, trailing low in the midnight black. The basin was quiet, Amory's personal guards - or Nobles as he'd elected to call them - watching over the Clans for the night. They sat in a crescent just outside the willows leaves, and their eyes never left the lone figure watching the valley.

Sunrise glanced over at the tunnel Tornheart and Arrow were trapped in. The brambles dragged across the opening didn't look too intimidating, but she supposed a horde of enraged Clan cats was enough to keep the two imprisoned inside. Would Tornheart know what to do? Or would she just angst on about how Crimson was the worst cat to ever exist? She bit back a hiss. _Liar_ , _you love her just as much as I do._

The valley was quiet, peaceful, unmoving. Was it peaceful though? Or was it just lying in wait, hiding the monsters from sight? Maybe there was nothing evil down there and Amory was just using monsters as a way to keep his Clan from leaving him behind. She'd heard stories from Eaglestrike, and Willowclaw, about how strong a Clan cats love for their home was. If they knew they could go home, would they leave Amory?

Or was his law just too strong?

"Why are you awake, Sunrise?" Icepetal sounded defeated. Her shoulders were hunched, posture sagging forwards under a weight Sunrise hoped she would never have to feel. To be abandoned by your birth Clan, to be forced out, because you weren't their ideal. "It's late."

"Had a bad dream," she answered, leaning into Icepetal's warmth. She breathed in the comfort and safety Icepetal produced just by being there. The world had done too much to a fragile warrior, put too much weight on shuddering shoulders.

"Want to talk about it?"

Despite how much the dream had scared Sunrise, despite how much she wanted someone to explain it, she felt in that moment that Icepetal didn't need any extra weight to bear. It was just a dream, a nightmare concocted by her own imagination. It wasn't important. "No, it didn't mean anything, just scared me a little."

"Dreams can be some of the scariest things you'll ever experience," Icepetal murmured, more to herself than the kit by her side, "but real life sure tries to beat that."

"Have you have been having bad dreams?"

She shook her head. "I haven't had a nightmare since Crimson died. Says a lot about what she put us through, doesn't it? Do you dream about her, Sunrise?"

"About Crimson?" Sunrise scrunched up her face. "No...I've never dreamt about her. Is that a bad thing? Should I have dreamt about her?"

"It's not a bad thing, it's probably a good thing. But, we can't keep pushing our memories of your mother onto you. What you saw and what we saw are probably really different. What was she like, Sunrise? What was Crimson like in the quiet of her home, when she felt safest?" Icepetal had yet to remove her eyes from the valley.

"She wasn't evil, not to me. If Tornheart hadn't had found me in the mountain I would have lived the rest of my life believing my mother was just a normal cat that vanished one day. I never saw the Crimson you all knew, never heard her brag about killing or ruling. She was just my mother, and she was scared."

Icepetal heaved a sigh. "You should have been allowed to grow up with your mother, it's not fair for a kit to be motherless. But...you understand that we couldn't let her go on living the way she was, you know that right?"

"I know, I've seen what she's done to the Clans, how scared they are of me. Do you think she could have ever changed? Was there a chance she could have become good?" Sunrise asked.

"Sometimes I hope there had been a way to change her, someway to avoid all that happened before it happened. Rainpatch would still be alive, Littleflame would still be here, Shatteredlight would have been able to come home, Titan wouldn't have lost his daughter," Icepetal swallowed thickly, "but I think Crimson was just too far gone by the time she set her sights on the Clans. You should have come around earlier, Sunrise. You stood more of a chance than us at changing her."

Sunrise's smile was forced, and bitter. "What if I become like her, Icepetal? Who's going to change me?"

"No," Icepetal snapped her head away from the valley to stare down at Sunrise, "you won't be anything like her, Sunrise. You won't be anything like the Crimson we knew because you never saw her, you'll be like the mother you knew, right? The Crimson no one but you got to see. It just might take a while for our stubborn Clan-mates to realise that."

"I'm glad Tornheart found me in the mountain," Sunrise confessed, and she was. Living in that mountain for the rest of her life not knowing why her mother had vanished and scared of the outside world sounded terribly lonely. She'd managed to acquire a sort of family, a dysfunctional one that was lost in their own home, but a family nonetheless. "I'm glad you didn't kill me."

Icepetal flinched. "A warrior never harms a kit. There were Codes the old Clans used to live by, Sunrise, laws. That was one of them. We would have never killed you."

"What other Codes were there?"

"A warrior doesn't kill. But," she laughed hoarsely, "no one really follows them anymore. Those laws don't matter."

Sunrise blinked and saw Icepetal drenched in blood, the blood of all those that had met with death at her claws. It surged down her pelt, scarlet and thick, stinking of carrion and of the dying. Did she think she was any less of a warrior because she'd killed?

"Willowclaw wouldn't have gotten you back if you hadn't killed. None of you would even be alive if you hadn't killed," Sunrise reminded.

"You don't need to tell me what would have happened, I know what would have happened. It doesn't matter anymore, Sunrise. It's not something that bothers me as much as it used to," she jerked her head in the direction of the valley and changed the subject, "I want to go down there."

Sunrise looked down at the dark smudges of trees, and the light spread of white before the ocean. "Amory says it isn't safe down there."

"I don't care what Amory says," Icepetal snorted. "I want to know why everyone's so scared of the valley, the place they've all lived since birth. Amory won't stop me finding out."

"No one will tell you anything, though. How are you going to find out?" Sunrise pressed, "will you go down there by yourself?"

"If it comes down to that, but I'm pretty sure Eaglestrike and Willowclaw are _just_ as curious as I am. If Tornheart and Arrow weren't imprisoned I'm sure they'd want to know as well," Icepetal stared over at the Nobles. "Maybe it's finally time to be a little pushy."

Sunrise followed her gaze, "but they're Amory's personal guard. They won't tell you a thing."

"I've come to realise that being someone's personal guard doesn't mean keeping their secrets," Icepetal's grin was toothy as she rose to her paws. The Nobles shifted their gaze, following her as she neared them, but they didn't move a muscle. She stopped in front of a calico she-cat. "Would you mind if I asked you a question?"

Sunrise waited for the angry snap, for the barked order to leave, for anything other than the soft reply the Noble gave. "Of course."

"What's your name?" Icepetal smiled.

"Sarff. I'm sorry about your two friends, orders are orders."

Icepetal shrugged. "I understand. Some orders are hard to follow. How long have you known Amory for?"

"Oh, for moons. The safety of a group drew me to his travelling Clan, and he's never put us in the way of anything we can't handle. He's good to us, and he'll be good to you, should you let him," Sarff replied, eyes twinkling.

She was being... _nice_. The calico she-cat that had helped put Tornheart and Arrow in the cave was talking to Icepetal as if they were old friends. No animosity. No bitterness. No caution. Just being friendly. Sunrise couldn't believe her eyes. The other Nobles were just ignoring them. Didn't they hate Icepetal like everyone else seemed to?

"I don't know, coming home and finding out home isn't really home anymore is a little off putting. No one will even tell us why we live in the mountains now," Icepetal groaned. "It's all so confusing."

Sarff laughed, "I understand. It's been hard for us to adjust to mountain life as well. Most of us come from the lowlands moons from here. We've gotten used to it, and the view certainly isn't too bad either. Sure food is a little scarce but food gets scarce everywhere during the cold season. You Clan cats are tough, I'm certain you and your friends will get used to mountain life soon."

"Do you think we'll ever go back down to the valley?" Sunrise nearly giggled, Icepetal was playing the Noble so well. She hadn't known Icepetal could talk to smoothly when she wanted something.

"I doubt it, it's far too dangerous down there, even for us. Amory will keep us safe up here," Sarff's tail twitched.

"Safe from what?" Icepetal persisted, losing tact in her urgency for knowledge.

Sarff shook her head and sighe. "Here I was thinking you just wanted to actually talk. Why do you Clan cats always have some hidden motive behind everything you do? I'm not an idiot, Icepetal. Amory has forbidden for what happened in the valley to be spoken about. Did you really think one of his personal guards would just let it slip? I'm a little insulted."

"Who can I talk to then!?" Icepetal snapped, "do you honestly expect my friends and I to just fall back into Clan life without questioning why we're in the mountains?! I want to know what is down there, and if you won't tell me then I will ask every single cat in this basin over and over and over until someone does. Amory is not god. He cannot forbid words."

Now the other Nobles were interested. They watched Sarff's lip curl into a mocking smile, and her claws slide out to flex into the patchy grass. They glanced over Icepetal's bristling pelt and lashing tail. They paused on Sunrise, narrowed eyes making her feel more than uncomfortable.

"Do what you like, but break too many of Amory's rules and he might just decide that a cold, lonely death in the twisting paths of these mountains will do you good. No grave for the abandoned, Icepetal," Sarff purred.

"And if I go straight to Amory?"

"You might just die quicker."

Sunrise nipped at Icepetal's tail, only speaking when she looked back at her. "Stop, please."

"Amory!" Icepetal's voice rang out clear in the stillness of the night, garnering the attention of the few light sleepers in the dens. Willowclaw was one, who went back inside to jab Eaglestrike in the gut till he spat his irritation and said he was getting up. " _Amory get out here now!"_

The leaves shifted with the rising of the rest of the Nobles. Amory did not emerge on his sloping ledge as expected. No, he appeared on the ground with sleep-ruffled fur and glazed eyes. He yawned loudly. "Who's calling my name this late at night?" Even his voice was a little slurred.

"I want you to tell me exactly what happened down in the valley," Icepetal demanded. " _Exactly_ what happened."

"You certainly got back on your paws rather quick," Amory blinked sleepily. "Weren't you suffering from a rather large abandonment issue?"

Icepetal allowed a quiet growl to slip into the air. "A Clan that doesn't want me doesn't get to see me cry over them. If they don't need me then I don't need them. Now you have some talking to do."

"Remarkably resilient. What a wonderful trait to have. Surely you've heard by now that I don't allow anyone to talk about what happened?" Amory's voice dropped into a threatening tone.

"Many times, every time I've asked about it. What kind of leader makes talking about an event as serious as the one that caused you all to move into the mountains a forbidden topic? Do you kill anyone that talks about it? Are you _that_ kind of leader?" Icepetal hissed.

Amory just sighed, "when it is an extremely traumatic event I find that not talking about it makes wounds heal quicker. I don't need to kill anyone because no one breaks my rule, because they agree. Who wants to talk about the deaths of their friends over and over? Who wants to discuss the loss of their loved ones with cats that weren't there to help?"

"Tell me what happened, Amory. Tell me why we can't go home."

"Are you going to keep pursuing this if I don't tell you?" he rumbled.

"Until I die," Icepetal vowed.

Amory met Willowclaw and Eaglestrike's eyes. "Do you two feel the same?"

"We do."

"Very well," Amory purred. "Nobles, do me a favour and deposit these three rule-breakers down in the valley. They might as well see the danger with their own eyes. Maybe then they'll shut up about it."

Icepetal jerked back as if Amory had turned into a snake before her very eyes. "What do you have against just _telling_ us!?" she cried.

"My laws are absolute. All law-breakers are to be punished. Isn't that what a leader does? Take them away, Nobles. If you manage to survive a day and a night you might just understand the pain your Clan-mates went though; and if you do come back and continue to talk about what happened I will kill all three of you."

"What about me!?" Sunrise shoved her way to stand at Amory's paws.

Amory regarded her with a sort of disgust. "What about you? You aren't going with them, you're a kit. It's safer for you to stay here."

"But-"

"Sunrise!" Eaglestrike interrupted her, "just stay with Singe and Hope, okay? We'll be back soon."

Watching her dysfunctional sort of family get shoved out of the basin by the Nobles made Sunrise wonder if this was just what abandonment really felt like - a hollow feeling in what she assumed was her heart that made it hurt.

"Okay," she whispered, hoping that living bodies returned and not corpses.

* * *

 **an: Check out Crawl Space, it fits in between Crimson Moon and Chasing the Sun, and is about the final Games Crimson forced the Clans to play.**


	10. Chapter Ten: Exposure

**¢нαρтєя тєη: єχρσѕυяє**

The nobles shivered the moment they put a paw into the valley. Even behind the shield of debris they appeared terrified of what lay beyond. What was it about the valley that had every cat running scared? Willowclaw found it almost laughable. Why would anyone be afraid of their home? He certainly wasn't, regardless of how off-putting his Clan's behaviour was. The look Singe had given him when he'd been escorted from the basin had been one of utter sadness and pain. _He must think I won't come back. Clearly he's forgotten how stubborn I am._

"Go on," Calder nodded towards the hole, shifting backwards with the other Nobles. "Go serve your sentence."

"And if we decide to return early?" Eaglestrike asked.

Sarff curled her lip. "We'll throw you back out into the valley, or kill you. Depends on the mood we're in. Now's your chance to find out what happened to your homes. Don't waste it; Amory won't give you another chance like this."

"Should've killed you all when you first showed up," Braoin spat.

Icepetal flashed a bright smile. "Oh you never know when you might need us. Turns out we're rather handy when it comes to saving the world and things like that."

"No one believes that you killed Crimson. She's still alive," Calder laughed. "You're all delusional."

"I'm sure Rainpatch and Littleflame are both thinking the same as you, from their graves of course," Willowclaw replied bitterly.

Another Noble, Aricia, hissed loudly, "Just get out of here. We weren't set down here to argue with you over stupid things. Have a nice time trying to survive for the next night and day. You certainly won't be missed."

The Chosen didn't need to be told twice. Finally, after days of looking down at the valley from the basin, they would be able to place their paws back onto the ground of their territories and wander the lands they'd grown up in. But they had forgotten amidst the struggle of rejoining their Clans just how much chaos had occurred in the valley. RisingClan's barren landscape was not a pleasant view, with its skeleton trees and rising pillars of pointed ice. The silence was an unwelcome companion.

Nothing moved save for a breath of wind. Willowclaw scented the air and found not even a faint trace of prey. That he could understand. RisingClan's territory was unfit for _anything_ to live. No water. No cover. Just death and despair. He swallowed uncomfortably, mind drifting to the hole in his camp and to the corpses that called it home. _I wonder if I'll have enough time to bury them all properly. No, the others haven't had the chance to see their home yet._ Not that he expected Eaglestrike to go anywhere near PhoenixClan's old home.

Stepping quietly through the abandoned territory, the sounds of their footsteps crunching snow echoing loudly, the Chosen had never felt more vulnerable. They had no idea who might be watching them, or who might jump out from the shadows at any moment. It was fair to be scared, right? Whoever it was that now owned the valley had managed to nearly wipe out two Clans and drive six high up into the mountains. That meant they had to be powerful, or had an army rivalling Crimson's in size.

 _Three against an entire army,_ Willowclaw snorted, _seems entirely fair._

They wandered with absolutely no goal in mind, absently staring at the devastation around them. The skeletal trees were beginning to thin out, as were the towers of ice, but they still appeared. Shadows flickered within the ice and made them jump but every time it was just their own. Nothing else living walked with them. They were alone, completely, and it was entirely unsettling. Clan cats weren't built to live alone. They relied too much on the thick veins of loyalty that ran through each Clan.

Willowclaw understood that now. His heart thudded along with the beat of his Clan's. If they were to die, so would he. They were more than just Clan-mates. They were a family, one that had been upended and ripped apart.

Yet his ties to the two other Chosen were stronger.

His ties to _Icepetal_ were stronger.

He could most certainly understand why Crimson had been so adverse to love. It made one weak. But he found that he didn't care. He enjoyed this one weakness. It made him feel normal. Perhaps that same feeling was why Crimson had eventually let herself fall for someone.

"Let's go to the ocean," Icepetal broke the silence.

"Why the ocean?" Eaglestrike cocked his head, "none of us ever lived by the ocean."

She smiled sadly, "let's go see it for Rainpatch."

"He did always talk about how much he loved the ocean," Willowclaw returned her smile with a bright one of his own. "I'd like to see it."

"Maybe that's where he is now, maybe he returned to the ocean after he...after he died," Icepetal murmured.

"Alright then, let's go see Rainpatch one last time," Eaglestrike purred.

RisingClan's territory, Willowclaw decided, had to be the worst, the most damaged. If all the others looked like this then there really would be no returning to the valley. He hoped there was life in other territories. The silence, the stillness, it was beginning to get to him. How could an entire valley just lose all traces of life? It didn't seem right, didn't seem natural. Nothing about the state of their old homes was natural. _A mass grave is never natural; Clans being forced to turn to a stranger for leadership isn't natural. Then again_ , he curled his lip, _nothing about anything has been natural since we returned._

He made the sudden, stark realisation as they crossed over RisingClan's border into the beginnings of WaveClan's rolling hills that Amory's Nobles shared frightening similarities with Crimson's Elites. A group of cats devoted to the protection of one individual, an individual they would lay their life down for. What was it about Amory that made his Nobles so eager to protect him? Crimson had had the promise of a world at their paws. What had Amory promised his?

Eaglestrike flattening himself to the ground with a surprised mew broke Willowclaw from his musings. Out of instinct, and trust, he threw himself to the ground as well, half expecting some stranger to come barrelling through the heather at them. "I smell rabbit," Eaglestrike explained, grinning.

Breathing in a lungful of ocean-tasting air, Willowclaw was pleasantly surprised to find that slightest scent of rabbit hung on the breeze. He twitched his tail gleefully. "Do you know how to hunt rabbit?" he whispered.

"There's no need to worry about us asking you to catch it," Icepetal teased, "we already know all about your abysmal hunting skills."

"I never claimed to be able to hunt well," he huffed.

Eaglestrike laughed, "And we don't hold it against you. I can catch rabbits; we used to get them back in PhoenixClan as well.

"Go on then," Willowclaw rolled over and sprawled onto his back, "go catch us some prey. I've been starving ever since we left."

With an arched brow Eaglestrike rose into a crouch, weight spread out evenly onto all four paws. "When we get to the ocean, Icepetal, remind me to throw him in."

Willowclaw stuck his tongue out and watched the warrior creep away, ears swivelling and nose twitching, searching for the rabbit they could all scent. He patted the ground next to him with a paw, inviting Icepetal to sit with him. She did without a moment's hesitation. "Feels good to be back, doesn't it?" It was only a half lie. It _did_ feel good to be back in the valley.

"Mm," Icepetal hummed her agreement. "It'll be better once everyone else is back down here too."

"Do you really think they'll leave the mountain? Leave Amory?"

"I want to believe that somewhere deep down in all of them is this need to come home. We weren't made to live in the mountains, Willowclaw. We weren't made to hunt mice amongst rocky crevices while keeping an eye on the sky for hawks that want to eat us. It's just not us, and I don't understand why everyone is so against returning. Do they really look up to Amory that much? Has he made them _that_ subservient that they can't even think for themselves anymore?" she sighed and flopped her head back to rest on his stomach. "Maybe I just dislike Amory too much. Would I have left with him if I'd been here? Or would I have been like Singingriver and endangered myself by staying behind?"

Willowclaw shrugged. "Maybe you're over thinking it. What if there is something down here that drove everyone away?"

"If we don't find anything, if nothing tries to kill us or chase us away, I'm going to kill Amory and bring the Clans back," Icepetal vowed.

He didn't doubt her for a second. "What if the Clans don't want to come back?" he murmured, because it was unlikely the Clans would follow Icepetal anywhere. All they saw her as was a murdering rogue, Aspenthorn had seen to that. They would never see her like he saw her, or like Eaglestrike saw her.

"Then I'll live down here by myself and let them rot up in the mountains."

There was a brief pause before she spoke again.

"Would you live down here with me?"

It wasn't really the question she wanted to ask. No, the question Icepetal really wanted to ask was "would you leave behind your family to be with me?" Willowclaw knew that. He smiled softly and reached over to touch his nose to her cheek. "You are my family, Icepetal. I'd follow you anywhere."

"Okay are you two done being romantic?" Eaglestrike dropped the rabbit by their paws.

Willowclaw tried to stifle his howl of laughter, he really did. It looked like Eaglestrike had been dragged through a bush. His fur was a mess, tangled with twigs and grass and mud. There was a small cut on his muzzle, and he looked more than annoyed at Willowclaw's laughter.

"Am I allowed to ask what happened?" Icepetal managed past her quiet giggles.

"No," Eaglestrike spat. "All you need to know is that I caught it."

"I bet you weren't looking where you were going and fell into a ditch!" Willowclaw shouted.

Eaglestrike shoved a paw into Willowclaw's face. "Shut _up!_ "

When they reached WaveClan's abandoned camp the sun was beginning to just near the horizon, golden rays turning pink and red. The only thing that gave away the flat cliff top as a camp was the one remaining den sitting lone and crumpled off to one side. If it weren't for that the Chosen would have walked right past it. The cliff jutted out over the ocean and the view from it was spectacular, an endless vision of darkening skies and even darker water. Far below them waves capped with white lolled against pale sand, and crashed into jagged rocks. No gulls soared on the wind or nested in the rocks.

Icepetal stepped up to the very edge, taking no notice of the plummeting drop, and closed her eyes. "Hello, Rainpatch."

He moved to tug her away from the edge, mind replaying the moment she'd been thrown from the very top of Crimson's mountain, but Eaglestrike stopped him with a paw and a meaningful look. "She never got the chance to really say goodbye to him," he breathed. "Now might be the only time she'll ever get to do it."

"She didn't say goodbye to his body?" Willowclaw furrowed his brow.

"We didn't have time to say goodbye. Crimson was fleeing, her soldiers were tearing the city apart, and Titan's mate was certain more would die."

He glanced back over at Icepetal, "didn't you bury him?"

"I did," Eaglestrike replied. "She refused to help. They were a lot closer than we thought, his death hit her hard."

"No. I did get to say goodbye to him." Icepetal turned her back on the dizzying drop, "when I fell off the mountain I didn't fall far, I ended up on a pathway with more bruises and scrapes than I could count. There was another cat already down there."

"Who was it?" Eaglestrike pressed.

Icepetal looked guilty. "When Aspenthorn says I killed Lightningfall he's not lying. I did kill him."

"No you didn't. We don't even know what happened to him, he probably got caught up with Crimson and died in the war," Willowclaw soothed.

"Don't interrupt me. I know exactly what happened to Lightningfall, and he certainly didn't die in the war. He was the cat I found down on that pathway. Who knows how long he'd been down there, long enough to go crazy and nearly starve to death. He tried to convince me that he'd come looking for me, that he loved me," Icepetal's face twisted, "and then when I refused him he tried to kill me. He might have actually killed me if Rainpatch hadn't shown up."

Eaglestrike gasped, "Rainpatch saved you?"

"He came all the way from StarClan to snap Lightningfall's neck and throw him off the pathway. So, I did get to say goodbye to Rainpatch. I didn't need to say goodbye to him again."

Willowclaw frowned. "How come you wanted us to come all the way out to the ocean?"

"I just wanted Rainpatch to know that we're still thinking of him and Littleflame, and that we miss them. It must be lonely up in StarClan while we're all still down here," Icepetal smiled sadly.

A lump had formed in Willowclaw's throat, and while he would have liked to have said that it was because he desperately missed Rainpatch and Littleflame, it was because there was one cat he hadn't had the chance to say goodbye to either. A friend he'd left behind to die with sickness bubbling in her lungs.

"T-This isn't RogueClan's territory or anything, and I doubt she'd be here, but there's someone I'd like to say goodbye to as well. I don't even know if she made it to StarClan or if she's even listening, I guess it's more of just a closure thing for me?" he said.

Icepetal brushed up against him, a purr rumbling in her throat. "Who is it?"

"Her name was Plummet and she was probably the nicest cat I ever met," Willowclaw admitted. "She doesn't really deserve to rot in that grave."

There was no way Icepetal or Eaglestrike had ever met Plummet, she'd hardly ever been well enough to travel to the borders, or attend gatherings. So why had they both stiffened the moment he'd said her name? Did they know something?

"Oh, ah, um, Willowclaw, Plummet isn't in that grave," Eaglestrike stammered, looking very uncomfortable and very unsure of himself.

"Huh? Of course she is, she was too sick to go anywhere else."

"No, no," Icepetal's warmth left his side. She looked almost in pain. "You're not going to find her in that grave, Willowclaw." Then she said something in a voice that was far too quiet for him to hear.

He tilted his head, "say that again, I didn't hear you."

"She's not in there," she swallowed, "because I killed her, outside the city."

Willowclaw nearly laughed. _Plummet, near the city? That's nearly a three moon journey from the valley, there's no way she would have made it that far, or even have_ wanted _to go that far._ But then there was that small voice at the back of his mind that said _why would they make up something like this? Why would they pretend to have killed Plummet?_ Why did the idea of Icepetal killing Plummet hurt so much more than knowing she was dead? He thought back to the days before they'd run into the Tribe, the late nights he'd sat up with Icepetal telling her all about Plummet and Singe and his Clan. Did she think about any of that before she'd killed Plummet?

 _She didn't kill Plummet! "Oh but she did."_

"But there was no way she'd be anywhere near the city, she had whitecough," he fumbled for any excuse, any lie, any way to deny what was the truth.

"Whitecough is curable, Willowclaw," Eaglestrike responded hoarsely.

 _She did, she actually did. After all the times I told her how important Plummet was, she killed her, why did she kill her? Why was Plummet near the city? Was she looking for me? Am I the reason she's dead? No, Icepetal killed her, I didn't kill her. But she wouldn't have been there if I hadn't left._

"Why did you kill her? Why did you _kill her_?! You _knew_ how important she was to me! Did she just happen to _stumble_ upon you all accidentally? Is that all it takes for you to kill someone now, Icepetal!?" he roared, "you knew. I told you. Why?"

Eaglestrike flinched at the storm cloud that passed over Icepetal's face and took a deliberate step backwards. While he and Icepetal weren't as close as she and Willowclaw were, he knew just how fragile the topic of killing was with her. Of all the times for Willowclaw to bring it up it had to be now.

"Do you _really think_ it's that easy for me to just _kill_ someone?" Icepetal seethed, "all they have to do is _walk_ in front of me? Is that really what you think of me? Am I just some murderer to you? I don't kill for no reason, and it hurts me that I have to _spell that out for you_. Plummet was a soldier, an Elite. She was on Crimson's side. Sorry your close friend was a _traitor_."

"Stop _lying_ to me! Plummet would never join Crimson's side! She was a Clan cat through and through, she hated Crimson." His voice cracked, "stop lying to me."

"I know this is really hard and really sudden, Willowclaw, but you need to believe me when I say we aren't lying. We wouldn't lie about any of this," Eaglestrike tried desperately to calm the situation. He should have known that Icepetal had more to stay; her easily wounded pride would get the better of her one day.

"You'd think being part of your _family_ you'd trust me a little more," she spat in his face and marched off in the direction of WaveClan's sprawling territory.

Eaglestrike groaned and called out, "wait, Icepetal, where are you going!?"

"You've all seen your homes, now I want to see mine. I don't care if you follow or not, I don't need you to protect me, I'll just murder anything that crosses my path," she shouted back over her shoulder.

The brief silence that followed was menacing, but it was broken by a loud bark of cackling laughter and Icepetal's cry of surprise. Above them the sky was suddenly flooded with clouds, almost like they'd appeared from thin air. The temperature dropped to icy levels, their breath billowing out before them in small clouds. Beneath Eaglestrike's paws the rock grew a layer of ice and he watched it spread over everything. He shivered.

Willowclaw was already on his paws, dashing towards Icepetal's cry. Eaglestrike couldn't help but roll his eyes. "Romance," he muttered under his breath as jogged after the tabby, "between those two was never going to be smooth."

He nearly ran straight into the back of Willowclaw the warrior had stopped that quick. Peering around him Eaglestrike spotted Icepetal standing in front of four cats he'd never laid eyes on before. She was hissing and spitting with the fury of a storm. They were merely looking at her with amusement, which probably wasn't helping Icepetal's already bad mood.

One of the four, a she-cat with a narrow face and the whitest pelt he'd ever seen, shifted her gaze from Icepetal to him and Willowclaw. He felt a cold shiver trail down his spine. Her eyes were surreal, a blue so icy it felt like they were freezing him solid. A lazy smile pulled its way across her muzzle. "We heard the sound of drama," she said by way of greeting, "and we just couldn't help but come running."

 _Are these the 'monsters' that drove the Clans from the valley? They don't look like much._

"I don't think we've met before," one of the others, wild fur coloured a fiery red, eyes reminiscent of flames, purred smoothly. "Yet you smell like Clan cats. Who are you?"

"We should be the one asking you that," Icepetal snarled.

The white she-cat laughed, and it was the cackle from before, "you're trespassing in our home and you expect us to divulge all sorts of information first? Someone wasn't taught manners as a kit."

"Ice," the fiery coloured tom whined, "I'm bored. Are you done? Can we kill them now?"

The other two – a thin, fragile she-cat with wiry brown fur and eyes with the sky trapped in them, and a dark tabby tom that rivalled Willowclaw in size – had yet to move or make a sound, they just watched with unnerving eyes that were far too calculating.

Ice grinned, and it was such a cruel smile that Eaglestrike could have sworn Crimson was standing before him in a completely different body. "Go ahead, Fire. We don't need any Clan warriors hanging around our home. All they do is pollute the air with their pretentiousness."

Around them the air crackled with energy. Fire threw his head back with a loud giggle, and when he looked back at them his eyes _were_ flames. He flicked his gaze to Icepetal's left at a patch of heather and a blaze roared to life, eating away at the fragile undergrowth. Icepetal flinched in surprise, eyes darting back and forth between the rapidly crumbling bush and the extremely smug looking stranger.

"Surprise," he giggled and set fire to the ground by Icepetal's paws.

She yelped and jumped back, but there was a devious smile growing. "So you can do a little magic, good for you." Icepetal tilted her head back to meet Eaglestrike's confused stare, "who wants a little bit of a lightshow?" Blue smoke poured from her eyes and she vanished from sight. When she appeared next she was right in front on Fire. She moved so quick the tom could only squawk as his paws were whipped out from under him, his back connecting with the ground in a flurry of limbs.

Furious he turned his gaze onto Icepetal and for a brief moment Eaglestrike could just picture her bursting into flames. He was more than prepared to jump to her air, muscles in his legs bunched, mind ready for the fight waiting for him. Yet when he went to move he found his legs refused with a slight tug. Looking down he found them to be tangled up in brambles. More than confused he looked around for the clump of brambles he must have gotten tangled in only to find none at all. Willowclaw was struggling with the same problem, but he was more aggressive with his escape, tearing at the brambles with his teeth till his gums bled.

"Run, Icepetal!" Eaglestrike shouted, "Get out of there!"

She looked back at him with a pout, blue turning to green in a flash. "I can't do that right now, Eaglestrike. Tornheart's borrowing my body for a little bit." Beneath her paws Fire went rigid and yowled in pain, green sparking from where Icepetal's paws met his skin.

Willowclaw broke free from his binds just as Ice sent ice shards flashing towards Icepetal. They sliced into her skin, and Fire broke free from her grip. It seemed his furiousness fuelled the burning fires. They climbed higher, crawled further, crackled louder. Eaglestrike felt the fur on his side grow painfully hot. A gust of wind blew flames steadily closer to him.

"I don't care who you are!" Willowclaw slammed into Ice, sending them both crashing to the ground in a pile. "But this valley is not your home!"

His claws carved deep into her shoulder but she seemed unfazed. The skin on his neck grew painfully tight and cold, so cold it burned. He tried to shake Ice's paws off him, they were pressed firmly into his throat, spreading ice from them. It was beginning to seep beyond his neck, crawling up to his head and down to his shoulders. The burn in his lungs was different from the burn in his skin; this was a burn from a lack of air. He could hardly get any air down his throat. Looking down he met Ice's gaze and was utterly afraid of what he saw within them: _enjoyment_.

Beside him Icepetal, or Tornheart apparently, was locked in a vicious scuffle with Fire, green sparking into the air and fire blossoming on the ground. Further away Eaglestrike struggled to fend off the brambles slithering towards him like snakes. They latched onto him, sinking into his skin, wrapping themselves tight around him. Fire crawled frighteningly close to his thrashing form.

Ice spotted the fear that had appeared on his face and leaned up to whisper in his ear. " _Welcome home_."


	11. Chapter Eleven: Elementals

**¢нαρтєя єℓєνєη: єℓємєηтαℓѕ**

"Wait." His voice was impossibly deep, it almost sounded like rolling thunder. If a voice could be described as regal, his was it. He didn't move from where he stood motionless beside the frail she-cat, but even from there his presence demanded attention. "Wouldn't you rather tell them what we did first? I do know how much you _love_ stories, Ice."

Willowclaw felt the paws resting against his throat flex and the ice surge a little quicker. He swallowed, feeling the ice surrounding his neck contracting, cracking a little. It was starting to feel extremely tight, and heavy. The dots swimming across his vision were steadily growing bigger threatening to block out his sight altogether. A slight burn in his lungs had increased to what he thought was a raging forest fire. Then it was gone. Ice dropped her paws, the ice suffocating him cracked and shattered, and he dropped like a stone, gasping for air.

"Story? What story?" Eaglestrike spat. The brambles circling his legs yanked agonizingly tight, and he fell with a strangled yowl to join Willowclaw on the ground. His flank had been burnt, fur gone, skin an angry red.

Fire and Tornheart still fought, angry screeches mixing with the unmistakable sound of her magic snapping out in vicious arcs. It was a wonder to watch, Icepetal's body wreathed in green, eyes aglow, mouth open in a feral snarl, sending these streams of power surging towards the fire-pelted tom. He danced out of the way of it most times, but when they did hit him he _screamed._ Yet his own power did not go unnoticed. No longer did his fire just burn the ground, now it burned the very air; rolling towards Tornheart like a wave.

"I think," the frail she-cat whispered, "that it's very rude to fight during a story." The gust of wind that battered Fire and Tornheart was brutal, and it howled. Knocked flat on her back the air rushed out of Tornheart's lungs. Fire took a battering, thudding into a rock concealed amongst some heather. "Much better."

"Who are you?" Tornheart coughed. The glow behind her eyes was still as ferocious, but the energy crackling around her had faded.

Ice grinned, "Sorry, that's part of the story." She raised her head to peer over at the other two, "Earth, Wind, should I tell them everything or just the first part? I think I want to save a bit for the next time we meet."

"There won't be a next time. We're going to kill you here and now," Eaglestrike snarled, kicking at the brambles still tangled around him.

The cackle that exploded from Ice was deranged. "Oh I really don't want to spoil our story but I can't just let you believe you can kill us. You see, neither you nor anyone in this entire world will ever be able to kill us. We're _immortal_."

Willowclaw's hoarse cough of laughter took the strangers by surprise. Surely they must have been expecting an entirely different reaction, one of fear and horror. "I knew another cat that claimed to be immortal. I tore open her throat and watched her bleed to death in front of me," he rasped.

"There's a difference between claiming to be immortal," Earth said, "and actually being immortal. We have seen more seasons, more eras; more rises and falls of grand civilisations, than any other creature. You are but kittens to us."

"This world does not have the ability to create an immortal being, let alone four. I refuse to believe the lies you're weaving." Tornheart lunged at a still reeling Fire, gripping his neck between her forepaws and yanking it viciously to one side. It snapped loudly, the sound echoing all around them.

A silence settled over them, the Chosen waiting with baited breath to see what happened to the dead stranger. Their enemies just looked bored. Ice even rolled her eyes, huffing something to Wind. She merely raised a brow in return.

"You see?" Tornheart purred, "Not immortal. No cat can escape Death. They come for all at their designated time."

"I'm a little offended that Death seems to have ignored me on so many occasions." Willowclaw lurched shakily to his paws, staring wide-eyed at Fire. He snapped his bent neck back into its right place with a giggle. Fire flexed his paws before lazily making his way into a sitting position, smirking like he'd just won a grand competition.

"What are you?" Eaglestrike breathed. Not even Crimson had been able to beat Death. So who were these cats standing before him? What did they have that Crimson had not had? _Who were they?_

Ice sighed, "If you were to shut up I might be able to tell you. Are you done asking questions now?"

"Just tell us," Tornheart hissed. She was eyeing Fire distrustfully, and he was staring back at her with the biggest grin that was practically dripping victory.

"We're the reason your precious Clans are stuck up in the mountains, slowly starving to death," Ice purred. "You see after a rather unfortunate series of events a few hundred seasons ago, we got a little stuck. But thanks to Crimson making a stupid decision to entrust us with her final mission we managed to get out of our predicament. We were supposed to just wipe out the Clans, which we're kind of in the middle of at the moment, but we figured, Crimson's not here to yell at us, why don't we just kick the Clans out of their home and take it for our home until we get bored in a couple of seasons?"

Tornheart was spitting rage, "is this all some kind of _game_ to you!? These lives you're just playing with?!"

"Of course it's just a game. Everything we do is just a game. We've been alive for far too long to take anything seriously anymore," Ice replied with a flick of her tail.

"What did you do to RogueClan?" Willowclaw demanded, "What did you do to my Clan?" _They're working for Crimson. Crimson told them to kill us. They're because of her. Are we ever going to be free from her? Why won't she go away?_

Ice furrowed her brow, tilting her head a little, appearing deep in thought. "The Clan in the swamp, what did we do to them. Actually, I don't think I had anything to do with them. That glorious massacre you came back to was all Earth's doing, wasn't it?"

"Yes. They disrespected the land they lived on. They had to be punished. What they got was what they deserved."

"How _dare you_ say that," Willowclaw snarled. "My Clan did not disrespect our territory, we would never, it sustains us."

Earth's growl spilled like a roar from his throat, "I could hear the land crying out, begging to be saved. Don't talk to me like you know everything there is to know about respecting land, _kit_. I have done it all my life."

"By ripping it apart? Is that how you care for the land? All I've seen left behind by you is destruction, assuming the mess you left in PhoenixClan was your doing," Eaglestrike curled his lip.

"We do what we think is right." The frail she-cat's voice was wispy, thin, it almost seemed to float on the air, and it was awfully quiet. "We do what we think the world around us needs. It is rarely ever appreciated. Destruction is just as important as creation. No one understands that anymore."

"I have faced far more destruction in my life that I would have liked, and I know for a fact that it is never needed, neither is it anywhere near as important as creation," Tornheart gasped, her face pulled into a pinched expression of pain.

Wind turned her bored gaze onto Tornheart, and they sharpened. "I do not expect a commoner to understand where we fit in the grand cycle of this world. You are not needed for it to be completed; therefore you are to be destroyed. This is fact. Do not fight it."

"We will fight anyone that endangers our home, and we refuse your fact. I _know_ we are needed in our world. Everyone is needed in this world," Eaglestrike struggled to his paws, burnt side beginning to ooze blood. "We are Chosen, and I don't expect strangers that know nothing of this world to understand that."

Rearing back, Wind looked affronted, disgusted, her nostrils flaring and eyes widening. "Kill them," she mumbled quietly.

" _Kill them ALL."_

 _"_ _RUN!"_

The orders clashed in midair, mingling together. Eaglestrike reacted fast and launched himself at Willowclaw, struggling to pull the heavy tabby to his paws. A chunk of ice sharpened to a deadly point whistled by his ear propelled by a howling gust of wind. Beneath their paws the ground buckled, but at the same time a wall of nearly-transparent green shot up high into the sky, and the assault against them came to a shuddering stop.

"Okay, we need to go, _now_ ," Tornheart hissed through gritted teeth. Her eyes were closed, sparks of green practically dancing up and down her spine. The wall kept their four strange enemies from reaching them, and Tornheart used it to push them out of the way, clearing their escape path back into RisingClan's forest. It was a dark smudge peering at them from the horizon, beyond the sandy rises that melted into grassy plains.

Willowclaw and Eaglestrike did not need to be told twice, kicking sand up behind their feet as they jumped into a sprint.

There were not many things Willowclaw found himself scared of these days. He had seen too much, been part of too much, _done_ too much, to be scared of anything. In his days training under Crimson's watchful eye he had been taught of the unimportance of fear, how it clouded a soldier's mind and made him weak, how it was a one-way path to certain death. He had grown up taught to destroy fear, ignore it, and forget it. So he had. He hadn't feared Crimson, not once. He hadn't feared his own demise, hadn't feared abandonment or exile. In all his life he had only truly felt fear once, and it was for Icepetal. Trapped in the Tribe he had been terrified for her. He had hated the feeling.

Staring into Ice's eyes he had felt it once more. The way the ice that had travelled up his neck achingly slow, tightening, constricting, hardening, it would be a feeling he would not forget any time soon. But it was the raw power he'd seen in her hungry gaze that frightened him more than anything. Crimson hadn't had that feral glint. If these strangers that now called the valley home were more powerful than her...would anyone be able to stop them?

They had yet to truly witness Wind's power, though he had a hunch it might have something to do with wind, it being her name and all. What could Earth do? Crumble the whole world if he felt like it? Knock over an entire mountain? Birth new valleys from endless plains? He was scared of these strangers. Now he understood why the Clans were so against coming home.

Tornheart's wall fell and the ground beside them ruptured. Sand was flung up into the air as a yawning gash opened up. Overhead lightning raced with them, crackling and snapping angrily. It was enough to make their paws move quicker.

"Can't you do anything else to hold them off?" Eaglestrike shouted at Tornheart over the rumble of thunder. "Anything?"

"Icepetal's body isn't used to any amount of power surging through it. If I do too much I'll kill her. Running is our best option, we just need to get back to the mountain path," she answered, risking a glance over her shoulder just to see their enemies powering towards them.

"Won't that lead them straight to the Clans!?" Willowclaw protested.

Eaglestrike avoided a sudden dip in the ground. "Whoever those four are they haven't been able to find the Clans yet, and that pathway into the mountains is pretty obvious."

A pillar of ice, like those that now made up RisingClan's forest, almost impaled Willowclaw as it exploded from the ground just in front of him. He thudded into it with a strangled yowl, turning in the last moment so that his side absorbed the impact and not his skull. "That was a dirty move!" he screeched back at their enemies.

"I don't think they like to play fair," Eaglestrike snorted, slowing down to give Willowclaw time to catch up.

"The sooner they're dead the better," Willowclaw grumbled.

"Not to be the bearer of bad news," Tornheart sent a surge of green towards their advancing foes, "but I don't think even _I_ can beat them with my magic."

Willowclaw refrained from blurting out a long string of curses. "Well we'll have to think of something before those four decide to destroy the world."

"How about we do that back in the safety of camp?" Eaglestrike whined.

Over the din of the howling wind, roaring thunder, and ground-shaking rumbles came Ice's _very_ loud voice. "You aren't going _anywhere_ , Clan cats! We have to kill you now you've been down into our valley! That's just the way it is, so _stop running!_ "

RisingClan's dismal forest was so achingly close. The sand beneath their paws had long turned to tough grass. Running from one end of a Clan's territory to another would give even the fittest of warriors a bit of a light head. Yet the Chosen had another territory to cross, and with four powerful enemies hunting them down they didn't have the time for a break. Fatigue was to be ignored. Burning lungs were to be forgotten.

Willowclaw would not be admitting any time soon that he was struggling. He was big, bulky, and a little on the heavy side. His paws were clumsy, his hunting skills shoddy. Running long distances was his least favourite hobby. If it wasn't for the lunatics chasing him he would have stopped and had a nap ages ago. _Ugh, I'm starting to sound like Rainpatch, old and weary._

"Don't you want to know what we did to your families? Your friends?" Fire hollered, sending a tongue of fire careening over their heads. It sizzled angrily, scorching the air.

There was a shudder in Tornheart's step, a flash of blue surging in her eyes, a pained grimace flittering across her face. "We can't, Icepetal. They'll kill us. We'll find out what happened some other way, Amory can't stay quiet forever, and neither can the Clans. I promise we'll find out." RisingClan's hideous lands rose up around them.

"Should we start with SnowClan?" Ice cackled, "weren't they such a wonderful Clan to play with. Have you ever heard cats argue about how the world will end? The whole fire or ice debate? We thought it would be very fitting for your icy Clan to meet their end in the red heat a _true_ fire brings."

"I'm sorry," Tornheart whispered her voice nearly lost in the cacophony playing in the sky. "I can't hold her." The green in her eyes split down the middle, Icepetal's blue clawing its way back to its rightful place. What did not vanish with Tornheart was the sheen of power, the glint of it, tucked away in the corner of those eyes. It was still there, glaringly strong, a harsh shimmer that demanded attention.

Willowclaw tried to stop her, he really did, but the look of hatred boiling in her face, twisting at her muzzle, it froze him in his tracks. "Stop. Please, Icepetal, don't do this," he begged.

"You don't get to tell me what to do, Willowclaw." Her voice was as cold as the snow that fell during the deepest parts of leaf bare.

"If you go you'll die," Eaglestrike had stopped as well, "and we will not return for you. They destroyed all our homes, Icepetal, not just yours. We all want to see them pay for it. I'd rather not die here for it."

She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye. "I can kill them."

"Tornheart couldn't beat them. If she can't, then we certainly don't stand a chance," Willowclaw pleaded. He couldn't bear to see her throw her life away for a Clan that didn't want her. He loved her and nothing would ever change that. Maybe he'd overreacted a little.

"I am stronger than Tornheart. I am stronger than all of you." She didn't even look at him.

"What are you lot doing so close to the pathway?" a gruff voice demanded, "shouldn't you be off exploring your barren homes?" Two Nobles peered around one of the ice trees, their eyes wary and claws sinking into the soft ground. Calder and Pleoh. Too late did they notice the four strangers slowing to a trot. When they did the fear on their face was jarringly clear.

Calder turned an accusatory glare onto the Chosen, "you brought them back here!? Are you stupid!? You shouldn't have run. They can't stand losing prey."

"So we should've let them kill us!?" Willowclaw scoffed, "that's stupid!"

"Better you than everyone else," Pleoh snarled.

Eaglestrike stepped between the two bristling toms. "If they knew how to get to the basin you would all already be dead. You know that and now we know that. So drop the act. Can we go back up into the mountains now, before we die?"

Barking laughter Pleoh puffed out his chest and stepped out from behind the ice tree, smirking dangerously. He opened his mouth to snap back a retort but the only thing that came out was a sickening squelch, and a stomach-turning crack. A bramble, red and dripping, slithered from his open mouth, dragging with it a pitiful whining sound. His legs gave way but his body did not fall. It was held up by the brambles driving themselves through his skin, grinding their way past bone, puncturing through organs. They stilled for a brief moment before tearing themselves free, ripping Pleoh apart.

Calder's sleek black fur was drenched in his friend's insides. He stared slack-jawed at the remains of the other tom. "...Pleoh? _Pleoh!_ Look at what you've done, you stupid Clan cats, why can't you just leave things alone!?"

"Oh, I don't know," Ice crooned, "I kind of like it when they meddle in things they shouldn't. Say, Clan cats, did you enjoy the little show Earth put on for you? He does enjoy that little trick of his."

"How can anyone enjoy something like that?" Eaglestrike croaked.

"Maybe you'll enjoy Ice's trick instead," Earth rumbled and then reared up. He brought his forepaws crashing back down, the ground beneath Calder's paws bucking so wildly it tossed the Noble into the air. With a whistle and a thud he was pinned to the ice tree behind him with a long shard of ice. The paleness behind him turned scarlet, his blood dribbling down in thick rivulets. He struggled for a heartbeat, garbled wheezes and gasps escaping his throat, before he took a heaving final breath.

Willowclaw could feel his hope at ever returning the valley to peace slowly crumbling around him, and there was no way to stop it. How could they beat monsters? The cliché answer would be to become monsters as well, but these monsters could spit fire, throw ice, control the very ground beneath their paws, and stir the sky above their heads. No matter how monstrous they made themselves they would never live up to the creatures standing before them.

"What are you?" Icepetal murmured. "Did Crimson create you?"

"We are Elementals, and we have nothing to do with Crimson. She just happened to find us, free us, and send us in your direction. Fear us more than you ever feared her, for we can do much more than she ever dreamed of doing," Wind answered.

In one fluid move that was far too quick for Willowclaw to see, Icepetal slashed Fire and Earth's throat, their blood spraying her fur. "We're going," she said to a shocked Eaglestrike, "we're going now."

They left Pleoh's remains and Calder's strung up body behind, abandoning them to the whims of the valley. There would be no returning, no burial, no quiet resting place for them. Forever their corpses would remain part of the forest. Perhaps, when all was made right, their sacrifice would provide life. For now they were to be forgotten.

"You will die as it is prophesised. All will die. This is fact. Those who dare oppose fact will be punished in the life after death." Wind's voice reached them even as they ran. It was a lie, a bluff, the Chosen knew that, but they still felt a spike of fear. What if their death _was_ prophesised?

The sky crashing above their heads went silent, eerily so, then the ruined forest beside them exploded. It howled its fury at them, hurling everything that crossed its path in their direction with a fierce hatred. A tornado in all its terrifying glory bore down on them.


	12. Chapter Twelve: Helpless

**Chapter Twelve: Helpless**

 _"_ _She didn't tell us what to do when we get there."_

 _"_ _We do what we do best: we kill."_

An uprooted tree fell to the ground whiskers in front of the Chosen's paws. Its tangled roots dripped soil and tiny bugs clung desperately to the shaking roots. The ground they stood on vibrated violently, RisingClan's dilapidated home quivered around them, and the tornado roared angrily. Where could they go? Where could they run? It was all around them, the wind, the noise, they couldn't escape it. Stuck staring up at the monstrosity the Chosen cowered, ears pinned flat against their skulls, chests heaving. So, this was to be their death; at the paws of strangers with a motive they would never understand. It was a strangely serene feeling, one's impending demise, a lull almost. They'd go to StarClan and join Littleflame, and Rainpatch. Their family would be whole again.

The Clans would die.

Eaglestrike didn't find that thought unnerving.

Over the din of the wind and the deafening silence in his mind, he could have sworn he heard someone shouting his name. His death loomed nearer. _"Are you afraid?"_ the lightest part of his mind whispered.

 _"_ _No,"_ replied the darkest.

"Eaglestrike I will carry you on my back!" Willowclaw screeched, "stop standing there gaping at it like a fish and _move!"_

He twitched out of whatever trance he had gone in, stunned to find the tornado a lot closer than it had been in his mind. Scrambling backwards he tripped on a branch before managing to right himself and run to Willowclaw – Icepetal stood beside him but the space between them resembled a yawning chasm. "Where are we going to go!?" he shouted.

"Back to the pathway! That's our best bet!" Willowclaw answered, stopping himself from nudging Icepetal in the direction they needed to go.

"Will we even make it that far!?" He couldn't even see the pile of debris marking the pathway's beginning from where they were.

"Does it really matter?!" Icepetal snarled, "If we don't move now we'll die!"

The decision was a rapidly made one, though it was more of a question of dying there or dying elsewhere. Fighting each other, fighting other animals, they were things that could be done, fighting nature was not. How would they even go about fighting a tornado? Shout at it until it decided they weren't worth it?

Of course they had forgotten all about the other issue they had. Icepetal hit the ground with a strangled yowl, briars surging up her forepaws, wrapping around her throat. Their thorns were deadly sharp and they were already drawing blood, tiny streams appearing in her fur. The more she struggled against her binds the tighter they wound. She opened her mouth to shriek her anger only to have it snapped and wired shut. Willowclaw whirled around, diving to his knees beside her, working his teeth into the briars. Scarlet ran from his mouth, yet when he bit one off another rushed up to claim its place. She went rigid suddenly and a muted scream rumbled in her throat. A briar snuck its way under her skin, writhing against her very bones.

Fire burned the ground by her throat. She shifted her head to meet his gaze, wincing at the bite of thorns. It was blank, empty – lifeless. Was it strange to yearn to see something other than death in them? There was a hesitation in his next move, the fire he sent missing her face by a breath.

Icepetal looked up at Eaglestrike, pleading with her eyes, and he shook his head. He knew the meaning in those eyes. "We're not going anywhere, Icepetal. We'll die together."

She whined but they refused to leave her. A family stuck together.

Willowclaw was certain the next plume of fire would kill one, if not all, of them. Or they'd find themselves disembowelled by Ice, or Earth. That was if Wind's tornado didn't flatten them first. It was dying a little, howls not as loud, pressure not as strong. He took that as a promising sign. Beside him Icepetal shuddered. The briar under her skin writhed viciously. He rested his head against her shoulder. "We go together, or not at all," he murmured.

It hurt him more than he'd ever care to admit when she ignored him in favour of giving a final struggle against the briars. _I'm the one that should be angry; you killed my friend, and then didn't say anything about it. So why are you mad at me?_

A slit in the boiling clouds unfurled a single ray of unnaturally bright sunlight that bathed the Chosen. "When will I ever get to stop saving you all?" Willowclaw felt that he would never quite get used to seeing Littleflame as alive as she was now, despite her actually being dead. He glanced at Eaglestrike to find him avoiding the CedarClan warrior's eyes, his face shadowed and a little sad. Icepetal had told him about what had occurred between Eaglestrike and Apollo whilst he'd been stuck with the Tribe. He could understand why Littleflame might hate him. But the smile on her face looked far too pure, far too real, to be faked. She wasn't capable of hate, her heart was too good.

She placed a paw on Icepetal's shoulder and the briars withered to dust.

"Maybe when everything stops trying to kill us," Icepetal jabbed back, rolling shakily back onto her paws. "How are you here?"

"StarClan tries not to intervene in the affairs of the living, but sometimes, when the fate of the world is at stake, we find that giving a little help doesn't hurt. I'm just here to get you back to safety. You should have listened to Amory, he knew what was down here," she sighed.

Willowclaw shook his head, scowling, "he refused to tell us what had happened, and we _still_ don't know what happened."

"Go talk to Heathersky, she'll tell you," Littleflame said. "Now, allow me to give you some time, go on, start running. There are still some Nobles you'll have to deal with and I won't be able to hold these four back for very long."

"You aren't scared?" Icepetal asked.

Littleflame shrugged. "I'm dead, remember?" she answered sadly.

"Come with us." There was no missing the crack in Eaglestrike's voice, "come _home._ "

When she looked at him there was hopefulness in her eyes that hadn't been there before, something that sparked deep within the green. It was gone in a flicker, replaced with an iron determination. Littleflame was not the dependant warrior she had been in life. "I am home. I walk this valley still. Go."

The clouds were shredded by the light of a dawning sun. A day and a night had passed. Littleflame cast out a ray of sun with a wave of her paw that had the Elementals shrieking in pain. The Chosen took that moment to flee for their lives, but not without one last look at the she-cat they'd left behind in the city. She faced down four grand enemies without even a tremor. Death had given her what life could not.

Dawn had never quite looked as beautiful as it did that morning, pale rays pouring in past ice trees and bare branches. The air still tasted of death, but the feeling of despair had lessened, they would get away, they'd get home. Sunrise would have them back in one piece, more or less. _We would have left her alone,_ Willowclaw's ears flattened against his head, _she wouldn't have had anyone._ He vowed to make sure that never happened.

Behind them a scream echoed, followed by a rumbling under their paws that shook even the pillars of ice. They didn't dare look back. The grinding sound of rock against rock was enough to keep them running, the added sound of roaring flames only made them run faster. Monsters did indeed roam the valley, they had made it their own, sculpted it into their own special little world.

But it did not belong to them.

"Immortality will _always_ beat death!"

"There is something much worse than death hiding in those mountains."

"Nothing you can say, warrior, will scare us. You are weak."

"I might be, but I know what you are, where you came from, and what you are terrified of."

"You're bluffing."

"A Shadowstalker dwells in those mountains."

The sky erupted. Smoke coiled thickly into the air, acrid and black. From the open expanse above them sleet poured. Around them the temperature plummeted, climbed, plummeted, and climbed again, never remaining the same. The wind that buffeted the Chosen was like nothing they had ever experienced; it shrieked like a wounded animal and tore at their fur with a terrifying amount of force.

A clap of thunder rung out, lightning flickered across an empty canvas of pale morning blue. Littleflame screamed. A flash of gold blinded the valley, melding with the soft pink on the horizon.

The pile of debris was so close, mere foxleaps away. They were going to make it, all of them, alive. A Noble stuck their head out from the hole. She frowned at the running Chosen, calling back to the others for assistance. Willowclaw bit back a snarl, they had done Amory's allotted time in the valley, but were the Nobles even going to let them go home? Or had they been given other orders? He could hear Amory's voice rumbling in a firm command, _"Make sure they never make it back._ "

"So you three managed to make it back alive, aye?" Something about the silver tabby standing defiantly in front of them was hauntingly familiar. "Amory will be surprised, as will your Clans no doubt."

"Your faith in us is astounding," Icepetal sneered, "now if you don't mind could we please leave? There are some rather nasty cats following us."

The tabby's brows furrowed. "Where are Pleoh and Calder?"

"Those Elemental nutcases killed them," Willowclaw answered, shifting unsteadily from paw to paw, just waiting for the nutcases in question to come barrelling through the ice trees. All he wanted to do was go home and sleep. He ached all over.

"We did tell them not to go out there," Sarff waved a paw dismissively. "Come on, let's get out of here before they kill all of us."

"I'll never be able to understand how you stay so calm when it comes to the Elementals," Braoin shook his head.

Sarff shrugged, "I don't constantly think about them like everyone else does."

"Can we _please_ go? They weren't far behind us," Eaglestrike pressed desperately.

 _"_ _Oh Clan cats,"_ Ice's voice drawled, " _I can smell more of you!"_

The tabby hissed. "Foxdung, if we leave now they'll be able to follow us."

"You know what has to be done, Aricia," Braoin murmured, "we all heard his instructions."

Aricia swallowed nervously, glancing out into the forest of ice, eyes stretched wide with unrestrained fear. She inhaled a shaky breath and closed her eyes. The trembles travelling up her legs ceased. "I know. Take those three and get them back safely; once a warrior, always a warrior." She took a step away from safety, towards the chill developing in the air.

"Wait, where are you going? It's not safe out there!" Willowclaw called out. A body blocking his stopped him from going to Aricia's rescue. _Why would anyone want to go out there knowing what's waiting for them!?_

"Sacrifices must be made if the Clans are to live on. Aricia is just doing her job as a Noble; we're protectors, we will give our lives to protect whoever Amory tells us to. We're kinda similar to you warriors," Sarff's smile was a little sad. "She's been a good friend."

"You're just going to let her walk to her death!?" Willowclaw couldn't believe what he was hearing. "Shouldn't we help her?"

Braoin snorted, "If you want to die then go ahead. But we've been given orders. We're to get you three home alive. Let's go."

Aricia's dying howl reached them partway up the pathway. It was mixed with a final growl of thunder. The valley fell eerily silent. No one dared look back down the way they'd come. There were some things that even Amory's personal guard had come to fear. Willowclaw, despite his weary body and need to get back to Sunrise, paused momentarily to see if Icepetal would walk beside him. He wanted to apologise to her for what he'd said. When she did not he glanced over his shoulder to find her standing far behind them, eyes transfixed on the valley. There was a deep longing in her eyes.

The words he wanted to say died in his throat. How could he have ever accused Icepetal of being just a murderer? Standing on the sloping pathway head bowed and shoulders shaking, she looked so timid, so _scared_. Sure they'd all faced the Elementals that night. But she'd had them under her skin. She'd felt their power full force as it had grinded along her bones. _But she'd slit their throats, just like she'd slit Plummet's..._

He couldn't talk to her. Not when he was still thinking like that.

Eaglestrike called her name and she jolted, twisting her neck to look up at him. He nodded his head in the direction they were going, an unspoken command. Even though they were back in the Clans it was hard to not see Eaglestrike as the leader of their ragtag band anymore. She gave one last look back at RisingClan's territory before trotting to catch up. A flash of amber at the bottom of the path caught Willowclaw's eye, but it was gone in a heartbeat.

"Sunrise will be wondering where we are," Eaglestrike said as Icepetal brushed past him.

"I know."

The sun had reached its highest point in the sky when they finally stepped onto the lip of the basin. Rather than follow the path they had first taken when journeying to the Clans nearly a moon ago, they had traipsed down a different one. Not that there was much different between the two. The mountains weren't any less grey. The land wasn't any less barren. There was, however, an extra river.

No one gave them so much as a glance as they picked their way down the edge. Willowclaw scanned the basin for a bundle of black fur. It didn't take Sunrise long to tumble out of the nursery, fur a mess of tangles. The smile that lit up her face took the edge away from his exhaustion. He loped over to her, tugged her close, and fell onto the ground, curling himself around her tiny body.

"I'm sorry," he whispered.

Sunrise stopped wriggling. "For what?"

"For leaving you alone."

He could feel coiled up tension leave her body and she sagged into his thick fur with a content purr. "I knew you'd come home, I wasn't worried."

"You don't have to lie to me," he rumbled.

There were tremors wracking her body, and he felt a dampness grow on his fur. _They_ did that, made her cry, all because of some stupid need to save everyone. It made his heart hurt and anger flash through his veins. Why had Icepetal pushed Amory that far? What had she been hoping to gain? Sunrise had been left all alone in a basin full of cats that hated her not knowing if her family would ever come back again.

He squeezed her tighter against him. "I am so sorry," his voice cracked, "I won't ever leave you again, I promise."

"Sunrise." A damp face peeked out from over Willowclaw's leg, staring up at Eaglestrike with watery eyes. "Are you okay?"

She nodded, "I'm just glad you're all back."

"I shouldn't have pushed Amory so hard. He wouldn't have sent us down into the valley if I hadn't," Icepetal whispered brokenly, "it's my fault three Nobles died."

Eaglestrike snorted. "Don't pretend you actually care about those Nobles."

"It doesn't matter if I care about them or not, I got three cats killed!" Icepetal snapped.

"Amory knew what would happen when he sent us down there. If anything the blame should rest on him for getting his own cats killed. Look," Eaglestrike jerked his head at where Amory was talking with the surviving Nobles from the patrol, "he doesn't even care that we made it back alive."

Willowclaw sighed and released Sunrise from his tight grip. She didn't move every far from him, only shifted so that her head rested comfortably on his side. "Littleflame told us to talk to Heathersky when we got back. Let's go do that."

"Didn't you tell me Littleflame died? How'd she manage to talk to you?" Sunrise yawned.

"Remember how we told you about StarClan?" She nodded so Eaglestrike continued, "Turns out they can visit us down here sometimes as well. She saved our lives."

"When I see her I'll have to thank her."

Willowclaw purred, "Let's just hope that isn't too soon."

"Heathersky's still in the nursery," Sunrise mewed, "her and Flight were arguing over whether Hope would ever get to be a warrior. She'll be a warrior, won't she? I don't understand why she wouldn't be."

Sickness was something kits could never understand. "That's up to Amory, not us."

The nursery was loud. Heathersky's kits were a rowdy mix, and throw in Flight's with their RogueClan upbringing you had a cacophony of shrieking kits and yelling mothers. The argument Sunrise had mentioned them having must have concluded for the two queens were just watching their kits with tired eyes.

Eaglestrike cleared his throat, catching everyone's attention. He found himself swarmed with tiny bundles of fur in heartbeats. Grimacing he tried not to step on any of them as he squeezed further into the den, answering the questions the kits were peppering at them. Flight snapped at them to leave the warrior alone.

"Kits are a wondrous thing," the RogueClan queen laughed, "but they rarely ever sit still."

"Oh I know," Eaglestrike turned his attention to Sunrise who was hanging around his paws. "This one could hardly ever stand still on the way back. Could you?"

Sunrise giggled and shook her head.

"Can we help you with something, Eaglestrike?" Heathersky asked quietly.

"Yes actually, could we talk to you for a moment, Heathersky? There's something Rainpatch wanted me to tell you." He hoped the urgency he felt was portrayed in his eyes. Rainpatch had indeed told them to tell her that he loved her, but they needed to talk to her about what had happened to the Clans as soon as possible.

She nodded, "of course. Would you mind looking after my lot for a little while, Flight?"

"Not at all," Flight replied, settling into a comfortable position in her nest.

They retreated to an empty part of the basin, near the edge and the impeccable view of the valley far below them. Sunrise said a quick goodbye to them before scampering off underneath the curtain of willow leaves. Willowclaw stared after her with furrowed brows.

"She's gone to see Hope," Heathersky answered his unspoken question, "in the healing den."

Icepetal flicked her gaze up from her paws, "Hope's not going to die, is she?"

"There's only so much a healer can do," she murmured in reply. "Don't worry about Hope; she's a lot stronger than she looks. We aren't here to talk about her, and I doubt you're here to tell me about Rainpatch."

"Well, he did tell us to tell you he loved you, but we do have something else we want to talk to you about," Eaglestrike admitted.

Heathersky smiled happily. "You don't need to tell me, I know he loved me up until the moment he died."

"We want to know what happened to the Clans," Willowclaw interrupted.

Much to their surprise Heathersky doesn't even flinch. She just takes a deep breath and levels the Chosen with a look that is far too motherly. "I never really approved of Amory's law of silence, but it has helped the Clans move on, and I can understand why you three want to know about it so much. I'll tell you, but no one can find out I told you, okay?"

"We won't tell a soul," Icepetal vowed.

"Were you still in the valley during the fire?" Heathersky began. She took their shudders as a yes. "It wiped out a lot of Clan cats. CedarClan's deputy, Littleflame's mother, was one of the cats that died. She spent too long helping other cats and died because of it. We could have done with her firm leadership. Those that did make it off the Isle alive fled to WaveClan's beach, the only safe place in the entire valley. We watched the smoke fill the sky. We smelt the burning of our homes. For days we were stuck on that beach, and when we could finally return we found nothing. Everything was dead, blackened, gone."

"It was decided by a majority that the Clans would band together to survive. Amory had nothing to do with us uniting, we did it ourselves. We were starving, the valley was practically barren, borders were the last thing on our minds. WaveClan's territory was the only place not ruined enough for us to stay. There were fish in the ocean, and the surviving prey often wandered into the sandy plains. It was tough, some of the warriors had hated each other for moons, but it worked, we stayed alive. I'm just glad Crimson's soldiers rarely ever came near us."

"We thought the worst might be over. Two moons after the fire _they_ showed up. The Elementals. We'd started straying back into our own camps where we felt safest, but we'd still hunt and spend time with the other Clans. Maybe spreading ourselves out through the valley was our undoing. They struck RogueClan first, though we didn't know what had happened at first. All we knew was that nearly the whole Clan had been wiped out and their bodies dumped in a massive hole in the ground. Singe told us what happened when we found him; four strangers had appeared, and their own camp had turned on them, the ground falling away, the dens attacking them. We didn't believe him. We should have."

"CedarClan met them next, with some apprentices from my Clan to witness the destruction. A tornado demolished half their territory, and then turned on them. The sky became their enemy, great chunks of ice and arcs of lightning falling down on top of them. Four strangers that somehow managed to control the world around them. How were we ever meant to stand against them? They started to attack us all the time, just appearing out of nowhere, killing whoever they happened to run into. We lost so many."

"Amory arrived a moon after the Elementals did. We were panicked, you have to understand that. So many of us were dying, we didn't know how to get rid of the Elementals, we were lost. He gave us direction, brought us all together, and protected us as best he could. But even Amory understood that these creatures were not killable. That's when he proposed the idea of leaving, of going up into the mountains, leaving the valley to the monsters. There were many that weren't too fond of the idea, but there were also quite a few that were for it. All of RisingClan rallied behind Singingriver and stayed behind. WaveClan, some of SnowClan, and what was left of RogueClan and CedarClan went with Amory."

"It took a whole moon until even Singingriver cracked under the pressure. She's seen so much more than any of us, but she won't talk about it. All she said when she stumbled into the basin with less than half her Clan left was that death now owned the valley. She nearly died that day; how she survived I'll never know. Just like that there wasn't a single living Clan cat left in the valley. We don't know where the Elementals came from or why they decided to kill us all, but I have a feeling they won't leave until we're all dead," Heathersky finished her tale with a heavy sigh that spoke volumes about what she'd been through.

Willowclaw couldn't believe his ears. "How did you and your kits survive?"

"I did everything I could to keep them alive," Heathersky said. "There was no way I was letting them die under the paws of four insane monsters."

"Then where did Amory come from?" Eaglestrike was still far too puzzled for his own liking. Had Amory just been in the wrong place at the wrong time? Or had he been waiting for a chance to assume control over the Clans? He'd be an idiot not to respect Amory for keeping so many cats alive with the Elementals prowling the valley, but did he have an ulterior motive?

Heathersky shrugged. "He doesn't speak about the past much. All that we know is that he and his Nobles are from the lowlands beyond these mountains, and that Amory has saved each and every one of them from death. It's why they're all indebted to him. They owe him."

"They seem awfully fond of him," Icepetal grumbled.

"Would you mind me asking what happened to you down in the valley? I'll admit I was surprised that you made it back alive." Heathersky look a little sheepish.

"We went to your camp to say goodbye to Rainpatch properly, ran into the Elementals, accidentally got a couple of Nobles killed, and somehow managed to make it back alive. We get why the Clans are so scared to go back down in the valley now," Willowclaw responded.

Heathersky blinked in surprise. "Which Nobles died?"

"Pleoh and Calder. Aricia sacrificed herself so that we could all get out of there."

"Aricia!?" Heathersky glanced over her shoulder at the spot where Amory had been a little while before. It was empty now. "She's Amory's daughter, or she was."

"I wonder how he'll deal with that," Eaglestrike said quietly.

Willowclaw shrugged, "it's not really our problem. Thank you for telling us, Heathersky. We won't tell anyone that you did."

She smiled, "you're welcome. If you'll excuse me I think I'll go rescue Flight from my rowdy bunch of kits."

They said goodbye to the pretty WaveClan queen. Eaglestrike elected to leave Willowclaw and Icepetal alone to sort out their problems, his wounds were aching. He caught a trace of Sunrise's scent and followed it. A trip to the healer's den was in order.

Left alone the chasm between them seemed so much larger than before. Willowclaw didn't know what to say. What could he say? He'd accused her of finding murder so easy when he knew it affected her so much. Lifting his eyes off of his paws he looked to his left only to see her staring down into the valley again. She was staring so deeply, so longingly, _searching_ the tiny trees.

 _What are you looking for, Icepetal?_

* * *

 **an: Whenever the Elementals turn up Carrion Flowers by Chelsea Wolfe plays.**


	13. Chapter Thirteen: Peace

**Chapter Thirteen: Peace**

The murky forest didn't scare her anymore. She didn't find the curling mist ominous, or the gnarled trees malicious. The thick darkness winking at her from the canopy didn't unsettle her. Sunrise had gotten used to the strange world she somehow stumbled into most nights. It was becoming a routine, she felt odd if she didn't visit the darkness. Even the stranger with its smoke-like form had become a norm. Sometimes it spoke to her, whispered the things she feared and hated. Other times it just remained a presence around her. There had been nights when the creature had just floated beside her and listened as she spoke; the night the Chosen had been forced down into the valley had been one of those nights.

Now it just swayed through the trees, never out of sight but never really in sight either. She didn't know who it was or what it wanted with her, but she'd be lying if she said she didn't appreciate its presence.

Sunrise had found that the further she walked into the forest the murkier it became, the dimmer it turned. She never strayed far. A rough growl had sent her running for her life the last time she'd ventured too far from what she assumed was her allocated area. It made her question whether she was the creature's only visitor, or if it had more. What else was it pressing others for? What other secrets did it whisper in their ears?

"You've hardly said a word since you got here," it unfurled from the branches of a tree, "I was waiting for some update on Hope. She is feeling better, isn't she?"

Sunrise shrugged, "I don't know, maybe? She doesn't tell me if she's feeling any better or worse, I don't know why."

"Perhaps she doesn't want to bother you with her illness? You are scheduled to become an apprentice, or whatever you call it, rather soon."

" _Hope_ and I are nearly old enough. We'll both be apprentices together, and we'll both become warriors together," she huffed.

It lazily shrugged wispy shoulders. "If she's ill she won't be strong enough, can't have a weak apprentice running around when there are monsters roaming the mountains."

"Shut up," Sunrise grumbled, turning her head away from it. Was it even fair to be angry at it for saying what she was already thinking? Her family had returned from their sentence battered, bloody, and bruised; their eyes full of nightmares. They wouldn't tell her what had happened or what they'd seen. _It must've been really bad, three Nobles died._

"How is your family?" it murmured.

She shrugged, "your guess is as good as mine. Willowclaw seemed really upset when he came back but that was days ago. He and Icepetal aren't talking, and Eaglestrike doesn't care. I can't talk to Tornheart, or Arrow. Who am I supposed to talk to? No one has time for me anymore, they're all too busy."

"I have time for you, Sunrise; I have all the time in the world for you."

"But I don't even know who you are."

A tiny smile grew on its face. "I'm a friend."

Sunrise looked sceptical, "a friend with no name."

"Are names really that important? All that is important is whether or not someone is willing to stay. Do you know if your family is willing to stay by your side?"

"Of course they are. Families always stick together," she mumbled. _Crimson didn't stay by your side, she left. She left you in the dark depths of that mountain by yourself. What if Tornheart had never found you? You'd be_ dead _._

It brushed by her side, cold smoke drifting through her fur. "But will yours?"

She twitched her ears. The doubts crowding her mind were not being put there by it, they were just being brought forth, and she knew that. But it was just easier to place the blame on the stranger, easier to think that she believed wholeheartedly in the strength of her family.

"You don't have to be alone."

Waking up in the real world was unpleasant. Her mind felt stuck in the shadowy forest never quite ready to let go and return to the present. Rolling over she reached a paw to touch the spot where Hope usually slept. It was empty, and cold. Sunrise closed her eyes again for a brief moment. _Still in the healer's den._

The nursery was oddly quiet without any of the other kits bouncing around. She pushed herself up, glancing at the two queens. As it was expected the queens had their kits bundled up beside them, sleeping peacefully. She felt a twinge of pain. Crimson had used to do that when she slept down in the lonely cave. The two queens had welcomed her into the nursery warmly, but it was clear that there was a line. She was not one of theirs, and she wasn't a Clanborn kit.

That didn't bother her too much, if she was being honest. She didn't need another mother and she didn't want any of the Clan queens trying to force their way into her life. That being said, she eyed her friends brought close in their mothers' embrace, and wished she'd just had a day more with Crimson before she'd died.

She rose from the nest and, like she'd done every morning, ducked into a low, long stretch that worked the kinks out of her spine. A content purr rumbled in the back of her throat. Even without Hope's warm body beside her sleeping in the nursery still yielded a better night sleep than the cave ever had. A sleepy mumble caught her attention.

"Out early again, kit?"

Glancing over her shoulder Sunrise smiled warmly at Heathersky. The queen had one eye half open staring at the kit with a gentle sort of curiosity. She'd never once regarded Sunrise with any kind of animosity, only the warmness a mother could give. But maybe that had something to do with her being a part of the journey that had taken her mate from her.

"Yes, I'm going to go see Hope."

"I'm glad the two of you have each other," Heathersky murmured. "It's never good to suffer alone."

Sunrise bristled a little, "She will get better."

The look Heathersky gave her was one of sadness, but also one of blatant truth. "I wasn't just talking about Hope, kit."

"My mother?" she guessed.

"She did a lot to the Clans. It's not something many can just let go. They don't look at you and see that kit that you are, young and impressionable, but the monster that killed their friends and tore apart their families. Crimson was a curse on us, and she is a curse on you."

"Do you think the same?"

Heathersky pulled a kit closer to her side. "No, I am not one of the one's that would blame a kit for the actions of a mother she hardly knew. Go see Hope; I'm sure she's waiting for you."

With that the conversation came to an abrupt close, Heathersky turning her head away. Sunrise fought the frown from her face. Why did everyone assume she knew nothing about her mother? Yes, she hadn't known about the terrible things her mother had done, but no one knew about Crimson's motherly side. No one could ever know everything about someone, it was an impossible task. She expected that Icepetal had things she hid from Willowclaw, and secrets Eaglestrike had that he refused to tell anyone.

She had known Crimson for only three moons of her life, and yet she felt like she knew more about her than anyone. Was that fair to say?

Dawn had been and gone. The dawn patrol was resting by the fresh-kill pile, talking quietly amongst each other. They didn't look concerned about anything neither were they injured. It put Sunrise at ease. One of the apprentices sitting with them looked up at her and waved his tail. She twitched an ear, and then returned his wave with a slight smile. Friendliness from the Clan cats was always strange to receive, but appreciated. Maybe they were finally starting to accept her and her family back into their ranks.

Willowclaw was scuffling with some younger warriors while apprentices watched with awe in their eyes. Amory had appointed him as a trainer should any warriors or apprentices want extra training in fighting. So far it was working well, he'd taught them a few things he'd learnt while travelling and helped spread RogueClan's techniques into the other Clans. He still looked a little awkward when he tried to explain anything; Sunrise had sat nearby and watched him once. It had made her laugh to see him so serious.

She hadn't enjoyed seeing him come back from the valley looking like his whole world had caved in around him. His wounds had been easily healed, poultices and cobwebs supplied by the healer, but his mental scars, they would take much longer. Whatever had happened had driven a wedge straight through his relationship with Icepetal, and her relationship with everyone. The grin on his face was wonderful to see.

A soft breeze pulled at the curtain of willow leaves, rustling them. A Noble, she couldn't recall her name, nodded at her, a sign that she could continue. The area beyond the willow leaves was off limits to all those that didn't need to be there; the den hidden behind tangled willow roots was forbidden to all: Amory's den. Worked into the stone of the cliff was an ancient den, scratches and furrows scoured into the base of it, vines and moss clinging to the top. A pleasant aroma wafted from within, herbs and flowers. It was the calmest place in the basin.

Marah resided in the cool den shielded from the rest of the Clan by the circle of Nobles for a reason Sunrise did not know of. She was a strange cat, friends with few, liked by even fewer. But she was the healer, the backbone of the Clans. Without her they would all succumb to their wounds or die of disease.

"Back again?" The grating voice echoed from further into the den, another cave where she kept all her necessary ingredients.

"I am," Sunrise replied quietly.

Icepetal slept in a nest closest to the mouth of the cave, her side a mess of white cobwebs and herbs. Her face was pulled into a pained snarl, legs shifting fitfully as she struggled through a dream. Sunrise didn't want to wake her. She hadn't exactly been overly friendly the past few days.

"Her wounds are healing," Marah muttered. "Not as quickly as I would like, but they are healing."

"Aren't the poultices you made working properly?" Sunrise eyed the yellowish substance oozing between the holes in the cobwebs. It stunk a little.

Marah scowled. "My poultices never fail, and this one is no different, it is just taking longer than usual. There is something in her wounds blocking the full healing affect my herbs have. It's strange, something I've never come across before. Amory did warn them about the dangers the valley possessed."

Flashes of the gory scene she'd witnessed played across the backs of her eyelids, red blood splashing from wicked holes in Icepetal's side, and a bit of bramble clutching on to her skin in vain. A gash that bloodied Willowclaw's face, dripping into his eyes, blinding him to the world. Angry red burns scorching Eaglestrike's side, stripping fur from flesh and flesh from bone. Walking in like the final survivors of a war that had torn apart both sides and left only shells behind. Even their eyes had lost their spark, dim and defeated, hurt and hopeless.

Even now what had been broken that day had yet to be fixed, an ever present reminder of the very real enemy lurking in the Clans old home; not that they'd told Sunrise what they'd found. She didn't mind much, not really, she liked being able to sleep at night, even if it did mean venturing into the murky darkness to meet her twisted friend.

"Who did it to her?"

"You know the answer to that question, youngling," Marah's scowl deepened, "Do not make me repeat it."

She huffed out a gust of air, pouting at the healer with all the cuteness she could muster. All she got in return was narrowed eyes and a hiss. "You can't blame me for trying, all everyone ever talks about is the terrible evil down in the valley but no one ever explains what the terrible evil actually is!" Sunrise flopped on the ground a fair distance away from Icepetal, but still close enough to find comfort in her rising and falling flanks.

"Oh to be young and worry about everybody else's problems instead of your own," Marah rolled her eyes. "Here to see Hope, I assume?"

Sunrise jumped back to her paws. "Yes! Is she feeling better?"

Ducking further into the main cave Marah nodded. "Better than yesterday, yes. She should be back in time for your first trip out of the basin. You're nearly old enough to be taken out safely."

"Oh, I'd forgotten about that," Sunrise mewed as she brushed past the healer to reach Hope. The sickly kit was tucked away in one of the more isolated nests, hidden from wandering eyes. "It's a bit exciting."

"Excuse me for not believing you. Can't you sound a little bit more excited about your nearing freedom? I've had wounded kits practically bouncing off the walls upon hearing about their ascent into apprenticeship. Why are you different?" Marah sniffed delicately at Hope's head, brow furrowing. "More chickweed perhaps."

Sunrise tucked her paws under her, touching her nose to Hope's side. Her flanks rose and fell stronger than they had yesterday. It comforted her to see her friend slowly getting better. _We'll be out in the world soon, running through the mountains, nothing will stop us_.

"If those monsters make it up into the mountains they'll kill us," she said quietly.

"Such a morbid thought for a youngling to have, but yes, if the monsters in the valley come into the mountains they will kill us," Marah admitted. "However we're still alive aren't we? They've been around for longer than you've known and we have yet to die. I think it's safe to assume that they can't make it up here."

"So we're safe?"

"As safe as cats living up in the mountains can be." Marah didn't even attempt to hide her amused grin.

Sunrise stole a peek up at the elder she-cat. Her immaculate, long, tortoiseshell pelt was streaked with gray. Though it didn't look like it Sunrise knew that beneath the long fur lurked a multitude of wicked scars. She'd accidentally walked in on the healer parting her coat while grooming, puckered skin winking in the open. Where the scars had come from, or who had given them to her, she had yet to inquire about. Gray eyes, sharp as flint and pooled with seasons of wisdom, were constantly searching, peering, calculating. With wisdom came the ability to read creatures, and Marah did it like it was as easy as breathing. Her muzzle was long and pointed, face all angles and bone; it looked unhealthy, really. She walked like the whole world should bow down before her.

"Are you enjoying your study of me?" Marah hissed.

"Sorry." The reply was instinctive, and Sunrise jerked her eyes off the healer as if she'd been burnt. Then she flinched: she hadn't denied it.

"Sunrise!"

Marah twitched tufted ears. "Sounds like you're needed, youngling. Don't come bug me again till the sun's set, understood?"

With a grin Sunrise nodded, "yes, Marah."

"Good, off you go."

More time had passed than Sunrise realised, the sun now rested midway to its highest perch, regal and bright. Eaglestrike stood outside the healer's cave eyeing the tangled roots with a content expression. He didn't even notice Sunrise until she pricked the base of his tail with her claws. "Ow!"

"Good morning," she laughed.

"You're too quiet for your own good," he purred. "How's Hope?"

"Better! Marah told me she'll be able to go into the mountains with me in a few days!"

Eaglestrike looked a little guilty. "Ah, well, I, uh, had asked Amory if I could take you out a little earlier. But," he added hurriedly, "if you want to wait to go with Hope then that's fine too."

"Oh, I don't mind going up into the mountains with you, sounds like you went through a lot to get permission to take me out early," Sunrise chirped. Amory had always appeared a bit like a stone wall to her: strong, unbreakable, firm, all the things that were hard to bargain with.

He shrugged, "it didn't really take much, and Amory's not as bad as everyone says. He's a great leader and a great cat. We could have done with his leadership during the beginning of Crimson's assault; he might have saved many lives."

"Icepetal doesn't like him."

"She doesn't like many cats at the moment," Eaglestrike sighed. "Come on, let's go for a walk in the fresh mountain air. It might do us some good to get away from the basin for a while."

Sunrise scrunched up her nose as she trotted to keep up with him. "What are you talking about? You get to leave the basin every day while I'm stuck here."

"Today we're changing that," he smiled. "Say, who are you going to pick to mentor you? It's a little different from when I was apprenticed, the leader picked my mentor for me, but Amory's changed that. Now it's up to the apprentice."

"I don't know, I hadn't really thought about it." It was a blatant lie. She'd been thinking about if often. At first her mind had been set on Icepetal: the ex-SnowClan warrior was everything she'd ever wanted to be, strong, intimidating, powerful, and beautiful. In the past few days that yearning to learn from her had weakened. Icepetal hadn't spoken much, just retreated to the healer's den looking downright murderous, hissing and spitting at anyone that had tried to talk to her, including Sunrise. Willowclaw had been her next choice; he treated her like his own daughter, and was strong as well. The stories of his abysmal hunting had been a swift reminder that no one was perfect. That left Eaglestrike. He was good at most things and went out of his way to make sure she was okay. Would he train her like a normal apprentice or go easy on her?

"Pick whoever you want; there isn't a cat in this basin that doesn't want to see you grow up to be a strong warrior. It certainly won't be easy though," Eaglestrike warned. "I struggled a lot during my training, it's normal."

"I'm prepared, I won't let you or the others down," she purred.

The mountain sprawled out before them, an undiscovered land to the kit that was just waiting for her to discover. It smelled fresh, and clean; it smelled like freedom. High above them thick clouds sprawled lazily across a pale sky, heavy with rain they had yet to spill but content to continue past the peaks without unloading their burden. Curling round sweeping cliffs and rising trails were tough mountain forests. In the distance roared a river, rolling further into gray stone with each tumbling turbulent. _Freedom._

A shadow detached itself from a tree, following the two Clan cats with a keen eye. It tilted its head at their laughter and flattened its ears at their content silences. _So strange, so unexpected, this is not what I had imagined. Were you lying to me? Maybe it's time to show you who you_ really _are, Sunrise._

It let loose a quiet giggle. _Yes, it is indeed time to reveal to the world the real daughter of Crimson._

* * *

 **an: It's all down hill from here, folks.**


	14. Chapter Fourteen: Blood

**Chapter Fourteen: Blood**

Tall fronds of grass curled over her, cocooning her in a silent world of rich green. Some towered above her while others tickled her back as she moved quietly through them. Her muscles twitched. Holding a crouch for so long was painful, her legs ached and a dull throbbing had started in her shoulders. _No wonder the other apprentices grumble about hunting if it's as tedious as this._ She twitched her nose. Her prey hadn't moved, still content to sit amongst a thick patch of grass unaware of death creeping towards it. A paw delicately touched the ground careful to avoid the dry looking leaf snuggled in amongst the grass. That would put an end to her hunt immediately, and she cringed at the thought of stepping on it.

Her tail quivered in anticipation. This could be her first catch, her first successful hunt. What she wouldn't give to go trotting into camp with a fat mouse swinging from her jaws. She grinned, and set about taking another few cautious steps closer. Another whiff of the air told her the mouse had shifted a little; as did the rustling of grass up ahead. _You won't get away from me!_

Dropping even lower to the ground she practically slithered closer, belly near brushing the dirt beneath her. _Get enough power, but not too much that you overshoot,_ she replayed his teachings in her head. She wiggled her haunches and pounced, leap bringing her crashing down right where the mouse _wasn't_. Its tail whipped back through the grass behind Sunrise, terrified squeaking noises its parting gift to the disgruntled apprentice. She scowled at the empty grass grasped between her paws. "How did I miss!?"

Still scowling she turned to where Eaglestrike and Singe were watching their apprentices' hunt, on a rocky outcrop, far enough away that they wouldn't scare away prey but still close enough to see everything. She hoped her scowl was enough to explain to Eaglestrike exactly what had happened, though if his amused grin was anything to go by he already knew.

Hope popped her head out from around the base of a tree only a couple of fox-leaps from where Sunrise had missed her mouse. There was a squirrel clamped in her jaw, a little on the scrawny side, but more prey than Sunrise had managed to catch. Still, she smiled at her friend and waved her tail in greeting.

"Not bad you two," Singe called out, though it was clear to tell his praise was _extremely_ one-sided. Sunrise couldn't really blame him; he must have thought Hope would never get the chance to run through the mountain forests after prey, or fight for her home against the monsters that threatened it. She was still sick, of course, but it was a kind of sickness that came in waves: one moment it was destroying her and the next it was gone. A marvel, Marah had said; a disease she had never encountered before.

"You nearly had it, Sunrise!" Eaglestrike shouted. He too looked proud, which was strange, she'd missed the mouse.

"I'm sure you'll get it next time," Hope purred.

She puffed out her chest, "you bet I will. There isn't a mouse in the entire mountains that's safe from me!"

Hope's grin was mischievous, and she laid her squirrel gently on the ground beside her. "What about the cats? Are they not safe from you either?"

"Not a single cat could beat me," Sunrise took Hope's bait, and the tortoiseshell threw her weight against the other. They tumbled to the ground, Sunrise batting at Hope's sides, pushing up with her hind-legs to toss her off. Hope was stuck fast though, forelegs wrapped around Sunrise's neck. She giggled at her friend's vain attempts to forcefully remove her, nipping gently at her ears. Sunrise sagged, all her weight yanking on Hope's legs and she let go with a surprised noise. Purring victoriously Sunrise flopped over Hope.

"Aw, no fair, that's cheating! Get off before you flatten me!"

"It's not cheating," Sunrise stuck her tongue out. "It's a tactical advantage; Icepetal taught me _all_ about them."

Hope snorted. "Getting training before you're even an apprentice is cheating."

"I wouldn't really call it training, all she did was smack Willowclaw around and then tell me what she did," she laughed.

"Still counts as training, you learnt something from it," Hope grumbled. "Singe never taught me anything, he just kept saying I was too sick." Her eyes sparkled, "I sure showed him!"

Sunrise rested her chin on top of Hope's head. "Yeah, you sure did. We're gonna become super strong warriors, Hope, just you wait."

The two watching warriors smiled at their apprentices, warmth and pride reflecting in their eyes. For one it was indeed a sight he had imagined he would never get to see; his little kit stalking through the mountain forests after prey. Eaglestrike turned his head to look at him, "you never believed she'd get his far, did you?"

Singe shrugged uncomfortably. "I'll admit that I had my concerns. She was so sick."

"Kits never cease to surprise us," he purred. "No stranger would ever look at Sunrise as she is now and expect her mother to have been one of the worst evils we ever faced. Despite everything that's been said about her she still pushes on. I don't know if I'd even have the strength to do that."

"She's certainly a marvellous kit."

Eaglestrike nodded. "They both are. We should probably get back; Amory wanted to see me before the sun sets."

They picked their way gently down to the forest floor, Singe moving more agilely down the rocky slope. It was chilly up in the mountains, and the sky felt so very close. Clouds often trailed across the ridges, dragging their soft whiteness along cool stone. Most mornings the Clans awoke to a world smothered in fog until the sun rose high enough to burn it off. Today was no different, not so far in the distance a low hanging cloud dipped into the trees, a white stain against pale green.

"You and Amory have been getting close," Singe commented.

"Is there anything wrong with that? He's my leader, one that I haven't had for very long. I like to know who's leading me," Eaglestrike wrinkled his nose.

Singe shook his head. "There's nothing wrong with it. Just, you all seemed so hostile towards him when you first arrived and now you're with him all the time. It's a little strange."

"He's interesting, and I respect him for what he's done to protect the Clans. I've never known a rogue to just bring six Clans together and they willingly accept it."

"Are the others pleased with your newfound friendship? I know Willowclaw isn't," Singe remarked.

Eaglestrike furrowed his brow. "Look, I understand that you care for Willowclaw, I care for him too, he's just as much family to me as he is to you, but that doesn't mean I'm not allowed to have a different opinion of someone just because it offends him."

"That's not what I mean," Singe groaned. "Has it never occurred to you _why_ your other friends dislike Amory so much? Have you even asked?"

"It's because he's a stranger that took their Clans away from their home."

Singe just sighed. "Look a little deeper, Eaglestrike. It's more than just that."

"Are you trying to tell me something about Amory?" Eaglestrike narrowed his eyes. "Is there something I should know?"

"Just that Amory is a great leader with loyal followers," he replied quietly.

"Look at my squirrel, father!" Their conversation could not continue with young ears around, so it was dropped in favour of admiring the squirrel. Eaglestrike found it strange that an animal such as a squirrel was so high up in the mountains, but then he really thought about it. If the Clans had had to relocate due to the Elementals then the prey living in the valley had to as well. The mountains surrounded the valley. There was nowhere else to go that didn't involve scaling down the other side into an unknown world.

He knew quite well why Icepetal disliked Amory; he unsettled her, and she thought there was something else to his sudden rule other than just promised protection. But why did Willowclaw not trust him? The RogueClan warrior had never made his unsureness clear, never mentioned it, or spoke about it. _There's a lot of things he doesn't speak about,_ he snorted. He was still waiting the day when Willowclaw told Icepetal what he'd done whilst serving Crimson. Eaglestrike couldn't help but wonder if it would break their already fragile relationship right down the middle.

Sunrise's mouth opened in a wide yawn, and she blinked sluggishly. "I think it might be time to go back before you fall asleep on your paws," he purred.

"What? No! I can keep training," she argued.

"If you overwork yourself again Marah will not be pleased," Eaglestrike reminded.

The apprentice's determined expression faded a little. "I only hurt my paw," she muttered, "it wasn't even as bad as Marah made it out to be."

"Any injury can be made worse by overworking it. Better to be safe than sorry. Come on, I'm sure Willowclaw will want to hear all about what you've done today."

"What, learn how to miss a mouse?" Sunrise huffed, "I'm sure he'll be _really_ excited to hear about that."

Eaglestrike laughed quietly. "You did nearly have it; it's just that you leaped a little too far. Those muscles in your back legs are too strong. Hunting is about finding the perfect balance between power and subtlety. It's difficult, and there are some of us that still can't quite get it right."

"Are you comparing my struggles to Willowclaw's abysmal hunting ability?"

"I might be."

"That is not making me feel any better," Sunrise whined, knocking her head against his chest.

"Well," he purred, "you should think about it this way. Willowclaw can't hunt to save his own life, but he was still strong enough to help save the world. It's okay if you aren't very good at something. Not every cat is born with the capability to be a perfect hunter and a perfect fighter. You just need to find what you're good at and stick with it."

It was extremely easy to forget that monsters haunted the valley. The mountains were so quiet, so peaceful. The soft sway of the trees in the ever-present breeze – the mountain air could not bear to remain still even for one brief moment – served almost as a lullaby, a siren, pulling one into this thick sense of safety. The gentle chirps of birds nested among those creaking tree branches gave the illusion that no danger lurked in the shadows; if the birds felt safe to sing their pretty little songs then it must be safe for a cat to wander the rocky paths. Danger did not dwell so high up in the sky. Or rather that's what the mountain wanted you to believe.

That safety would only remain as long as the mountain kept the Elementals out. As soon as the grand stone walls crumbled before their mighty paws, all would die. The Clans would cease to exist. StarClan's mission would fail. The valley would fall silent.

He eyed the towering cliff faces, and searched the steep drops. _Please,_ he begged, _stay standing, for our sake._ Eaglestrike didn't dare even imagine the chaos that would erupt should the Elementals breach the mountain. Their power was too strong for anyone to stop them. Just how did StarClan think they would beat them? Had StarClan even known they'd taken over the valley? He pointed his muzzle at the sky, peering into the blue sky, wondering if perhaps StarClan had given them an impossible task.

Sunrise laughed from behind him, and Hope giggled.

 _Please don't let them kill us._

Willowclaw was more than pleased when Sunrise came back with a story about how she _nearly_ caught a mouse. "You're turning out more like me every day!" he purred, then turned a smug look on Eaglestrike. "See, I could definitely train her just as well as you can."

"And yet she still picked me over you," Eaglestrike retorted.

"Can I just quickly remind you that I was the only one out of the Chosen that had an apprentice before we left the valley?"

"A terrible mistake, really."

Sunrise huffed, "kits, can you fight later when half the Clans aren't looking at you?"

"Willowclaw can't help but fight, it's in his blood," Singe shoved his brother and Willowclaw smacked him with a forepaw.

"Don't make me beat you up again," he grumbled.

"See?" Singe grinned, "Just can't help it!"

The willow leaves shifted in a grand display, almost like it was preparing to sweep some grand creature out into the open. Blue eyes peered through the greenery. Icepetal stood, hunched, half out in the sun watching them with a strangely guarded expression. It was a moment that was eerily similar to the time in the Tribe when no one had known if Icepetal would recover from her terrible wounds. But this time Willowclaw was not running to meet her. There was no grand reunion. He just looked straight back at her, face pulled into an expression that spoke volumes about how much he missed her but also about how confused he was.

"She'll talk to you again," Sunrise spoke earnestly. "She won't ignore you forever; she's just a little upset right now."

"How do you know she'll talk to me again?" Willowclaw sounded so defeated.

"Because she loves you."

Kits – or apprentices, rather – never ceased to amaze Eaglestrike.

"Eaglestrike, could I have a word with you?" Amory never really asked, his questions always came out more as demands. Not that anyone ever dared to refuse him.

"Of course," Eaglestrike answered. "Have the rest of the afternoon off, Sunrise. Get some rest, let your paw heal."

She wrinkled her nose in obvious disgust. "I can't do anything!?"

"Go and see Marah, I'm sure she'll have some jobs you can do if you're really going to be that bored," he purred.

He always enjoyed seeing Sunrise's eyes light up.

"Come on, Hope! Let's go tell Marah about the squirrel you caught!"

Amory moved away from the group of warriors he'd been talking to, a mix of all six Clans, a rarity in itself. They looked pleased enough with the outcome of their discussion. He had heard about certain... _issues_ regarding the patrols, specifically the hunting ones. The prey, it seemed, was beginning to run thin, and it wasn't even leaf bare yet.

"One of the apprentices caught something?" Amory inquired as he sat down next to Eaglestrike, flicking his tail over his paws.

"Mm, Hope did. There wasn't much out there though. Singe and I had a hard enough time finding prey. Teaching the apprentices to hunt is going to be hard if we can't find prey," he admitted.

Amory tilted his head away from Eaglestrike, showcasing the three vicious scars that marred the side of his face. He scanned the horizon with a thoughtful look on his face. "I might have an idea, but it is a little risky."

"Why are you telling me about it? Surely this is something the senior warriors should be hearing?" Eaglestrike murmured. He hardly qualified as an important warrior; in fact he was lucky his Clan was even beginning to trust him again.

"I've noticed that you have a very level head. It's something a lot of the others are lacking. Their fear makes them paranoid of everything, and because of that they refuse even the safest of ideas. So in this case, no, the senior warriors should not be hearing about this. Will you listen to my idea, Eaglestrike?"

He nodded stiffly uncertain as to what his leader wanted of him. "Tell me."

"You, and your two friends, are some of the few that have returned from the valley alive. What's even stranger is that you managed to survive the valley twice. Not many cats that venture back to their old home ever come back. With prey running out in the mountain I want you to lead a patrol down into the valley in search of prey," Amory explained quietly.

Eaglestrike blinked, and then sputtered stupidly, "b-but what about the Elementals?"

"They are the only issue to this idea. We can't beat them, surely you understand that now, but we can't let ourselves starve to death up here. The point of these patrols, and I hope to send out more should yours be successful, is to spend as little time in the valley as possible while collecting as much prey as each cat can. I refuse to let those monsters win by simply squatting in the valley," he growled.

"And if we die?"

"That is a risk you must be willing to take," Amory returned his gaze to Eaglestrike, and it was positively molten. "You remember your warrior vows, don't you? A warrior is willing to give up his life to serve his Clan. Are you willing to put everything on the line for an idea that might not work?"

"I won't let the Clans die. I won't let those monsters win," Eaglestrike hissed. "Not now, not after I just found my home again."

Amory nodded, an approving hum rumbling in his throat. "You are a good warrior, Eaglestrike. We're glad to have you back. But...those creatures down in the valley can't be beaten by will and determination. They are otherworldly, and they require an otherworldly solution. We don't have a solution like that. We might never have one. So we have to learn how to survive alongside them for as long as we have to."

"I understand. When am I to lead this patrol?"

"In a few days time, I still need to decide who else to send with you. Don't tell anyone else about this. Have a good afternoon, Eaglestrike." It was meant as a farewell, and Amory didn't hang around for the conversation to drag on. He padded over to where Heathersky and Flight were watching their kits play, warm smile paying across his muzzle.

"You too," Eaglestrike mumbled. He did not enjoy the idea of telling Sunrise that he would be making another trip down into the valley, and this time he was unsure as to whether he would return. Willowclaw would have to take over her training if he died.

Night fell swiftly, capturing the mountain in inky darkness. Thick clouds stirring in distance promised rain within the moon. Nightly watches had been stepped down, rather than whole Clans only a few were needed. A Noble grumbled his annoyance at being up so late and a RisingClan warrior laughed; on the far side of the basin, near the sloping entrance, sat another two warriors talking quietly.

Long before dawn but not so long that the sun had only recently set, Eaglestrike found himself jerking awake in a cold sweat. His whole body was wracked with shivers. An ominous feeling settled itself deep into his bones and the sudden need to _be somewhere_ flooded his veins. Within his rib cage thundered his heart, unsteady and frantic. Air. _Air_. He needed air. Careful not to wake the sleeping cats surrounding him, he picked his way to the mouth of the den, sighing as cool air washed over him. Still the feeling that something was wrong did not leave him. Something was _terribly_ wrong.

A tug on his heart had him veering straight behind the den, to a dark corner of the basin few ever had to need to go near. Just as a part of him had expected, cut deep into the stone, was a pathway. It was tiny. He hardly fit. But he squeezed through any way. He had to. He had to. There was something he needed to see, something he needed to do.

 _"_ _Yes, go running. Go on, there's a surprise waiting."_

Midway through his chaotic scrabble through the tiny pathway he paused, flicking an ear; certain he'd heard the whisper of a voice. When only the wind murmured back he put it down to a little bit of fear and continued.

High up into the mountains he ventured, escaping the tiny pathway onto a much bigger one that curved deep into thick mountain forest. The further he got from the basin the more worried he became. He didn't understand why he felt so terrified. All he did understand was that he needed to be somewhere and he needed to be there now.

The moon was a white claw in the dark sky, and the stars flickered coldly above him. They knew something he did not. They knew what he was running towards. Oh how he wanted them to tell him.

Away from the forest he climbed, up a steep incline that fell away into a dizzying drop on one side. He could see that it flattened out at the top. He could also smell the unmistakeable tang of blood fresh on the air. Pricked ears caught the sound of liquid slapping against cold stone, and the sickening sound of something coughing and hacking.

Pale moonlight shone on splatters of scarlet which turned into rivulets that ran over the lip of the incline as it levelled out. He mounted the cliff top and wished that he had remained back in the basin wrapped up around himself in his warm nest. He wanted to close his eyes on what he was seeing, wanted to forget it was happening. It made his stomach curdle.

Sunrise sat in the middle of the cliff top, surrounded by blood. It was... _floating..._ around her in big and small balls, dripping from her face, oozing down her sides, splattered on her paws. Blood, _everywhere._ Stinking, tainting the air. It looked almost like it was being pulled from the lifeless body beside her, seeping through open air to dangle around Sunrise.

He was speechless. He was _terrified._

"Ah, uh, S-Sunrise," he began, "what are you _doing_!?"

She exhaled a wheezing breath and the blood circling around her head splashed to the ground, soaking them both. "Eaglestrike?" she whimpered, "Eaglestrike?!"

"Come here, get away from there. What are you doing all the way out here!? How'd you even _get_ out here?" he grabbed her by the scruff and hauled her away from the body. "What happened here?"

"I-I-I don't know. I was asleep and then I wasn't, and I was walking but it didn't feel like I was really walking. Someone was walking beside me, I think I was talking to them but then it went dark and all I could hear was screaming. I...I did this, didn't I?" Sunrise croaked.

Eaglestrike wanted to say no, he really did, but how could he when he'd found her covered in blood sitting beside the body? Covered in blood she shared frightening similarities to her mother. "Sunrise...Sunrise I don't know." He held her close to his side, close enough to _feel_ the frightened beating of her heart. How could she do something as brutal as what was spread out before him?

"Who is it?" she whispered. "Who did I kill?"

"You didn't kill them, Sunrise." He couldn't tell her. "I don't know who it is, I don't recognise them. They must have been a rogue or loner that got lost in the mountains."

She sniffled and nodded. "What...w-what are we going to do about the, the, body?"

Eaglestrike remained silent, pulling away from Sunrise to step back into the pools of still warm blood. He leaned down, sunk his teeth into the scruff of the bedraggled body and hauled it over to the edge of the cliff. It twitched in his grip and mewled quietly. He opened his mouth and the body fell.

"Let's go," he breathed. "Let's get back to the basin before we're missed. We mustn't ever talk about this Sunrise. I don't care what happened up here, and I don't want to know. Just...just promise me it won't happen again. Okay?"

"Why aren't you mad at me? I did something terrible."

"Because I love you and I want to protect you."

The sun rose on a peaceful morning. Eaglestrike was back in his nest, curled up into an almost painfully tight ball. He couldn't get the smell or the taste of blood out of his mouth. He'd licked them both clean, destroying whatever evidence they might bring back. He couldn't understand what had happened, or what had lead Sunrise to do what she'd done.

A heart-breaking scream ripped through the early morning, and Eaglestrike curled in further on himself, desperate to shut out the noise.

 _"_ _Hope!? Hope, where are you!? Hope!"_

* * *

 **an: alternate title to this chapter: hopeless. c:**


	15. Chapter Fifteen: Manipulator

**Chapter Fifteen: Manipulator**

"I trusted you! You were my friend. How could you do this to me?"

Her dark friend had a more solid form now. It looked more feline: sweeping lines of a long neck leading into sharp shoulders and dropping down to delicate haunches. Hardly the image she had in her mind of it. No, that had been an image of a powerful cat crafted with strength ingrained in its very bones. Still the darkness seeped off it in curling tongues of black mist, dissipating into the open air of its silent home. A fat, yellow moon cast sickly light down onto them both, stretching their shadows out far beside them.

"Don't look at me like that," it pouted. "I was only looking to have fun together, and we did! We did have fun! Tell me you had fun, Sunrise. I _know_ you had fun."

"No! I don't even really understand what I did but I know it wasn't fun! Eaglestrike found me, he found me covered in blood far away from the basin. Please tell me what you did. I need to know what you did," Sunrise pleaded. The stench of blood had been awful, _still was_ awful, like it was stuck in her fur. When she swallowed she could taste the sickening tang at the back of her throat. She'd killed someone.

"All I did was point you in the right direction and spill a little blood. You did the rest. It was wonderful, wasn't it? Feeling yourself _pull_ her blood from her body? Could you feel it pounding through her veins? I bet you could. You have such an incredible gift, Sunrise; so unique." It sounded so...awestruck.

Sunrise shook her head violently, and squeezed her eyes shut. "No. _No._ I didn't do the rest you did the rest! I wouldn't – _couldn't_ – kill anyone. You made me do it. Ever since I first came here you've been trying to use me, haven't you!? You told me you were my friend! Why would you do this to me? They'll kill me if they find out I'm a murderer. They'll _kill_ me..."

"No, no, no," it cooed, coming forward to wrap itself comfortingly around Sunrise. It had a strange feeling to it, solid, yet slightly not; cold, but burning hot around its chest. Still she sagged into it with a quiet whimper. "I won't let them kill you, I promise."

"Please, tell me what I did. Tell me how I did it."

"You have a gift, Sunrise. It's a beautiful gift, terrifying and so, so marvellous. No other creature has a gift like this. It is what makes you so _unique_ ," it purred in her ear.

The dark forest shifted around them, trees dropping away as mountains grew from blackness, shooting up into the sky. A blank expanse of dark greeted Sunrise's eyes. There were no stars in her dream world. The moon remained a sickly yellow. She recognised the cliff top they now stood on. Soaked in crimson blood it was unmistakable. A fragile body was slumped against the cold rock, breath coming in ragged, wheezing gasps. Blood seeped from a hole in their side.

"Why are we back here?" Sunrise hissed squeezing shut her eyes. The harsh smell of blood filled her nose and coiled at the back of her throat. She didn't need to see this again, she didn't need to be reminded of what she'd done. Eaglestrike could tell her over and over that she wasn't the one responsible, but she knew deep down that she was. Foggy memories told her of the delightful feeling of tearing into flesh, of dragging blood out into the open air. She'd done it. She was the murderer.

"So I can show you your gift. Take a deep breath, Sunrise, and tell me what you can smell."

"Blood. So much blood. It's all I can smell," she wrinkled her nose and coughed. "Is there something else I'm supposed to be able to smell?"

It shook its head, looking far too jovial for where they were and what they were doing. "No, that's all I wanted you to smell. Now, tell me what you _feel._ "

"Disgust," Sunrise sneered.

"If you don't want my help just say so."

"No, wait, please. What do you mean what do I feel?"

"Close your eyes," it breathed in her ear, "and just _concentrate_ on what's around you. You'll see what I mean, trust me."

Closing her eyes on the mess surrounding her, Sunrise inhaled a deep breath, ignoring the sickly tang of blood on her tongue. She let her body sag a little, let the tension screaming through her veins dissipate. In her ears her heart beat thundered. A stuttering breath passed her lips. There was another heartbeat settled in her ears, this one much frailer, quieter, but so... _frantic._ She stared over at the body. Its fur was dark, smudged, like something was stopping her from actually seeing who she'd killed. The heartbeat was coming from them. She could feel it pulsing beneath their ribs. She could feel their blood flowing sluggishly through their veins. She could _feel it_ pulsing from their body, flowing out onto the stone. It felt _so good._ Taking a gentle step forwards Sunrise pressed a forepaw into a puddle of blood. She felt its ripples, its movements. It was intoxicating. She needed more. _More. More. MORE._

It threaded through the air towards her, dripping and leaking onto the stone with quite little splashes. The stench of blood wasn't a stench anymore, it was a welcoming aroma and it flooded towards her in wonderful waves. She watched with slitted eyes as the stream of scarlet wreathed around her head. With a toss of her head it separated, circling into individual spheres. How had she ever found this disgusting? How had she ever viewed the destruction at her paws as terrible? This was magnificent. This was exciting. This was _beautiful._

That final thought had Sunrise snapping out of her daze. The blood collapsed to the stone soaking her pelt in red. It was far too similar to when Eaglestrike had found her. Only then her dark friend had not been beside her and everything she'd done had been her own doing. Now her nameless friend floated by her side wearing a grin that was far too victorious, far too excited, far too pleased. Had she done what it had wanted? Was the revelation that she found blood intoxicating what it had wanted her to discover?

"Do you understand it now?" it crowed. "Do you understand your gift?"

"I, something...something about blood is exciting to me?" Her mouth was dry and her words felt like they were catching in her throat.

It blinked its fire coloured eyes slowly. "That could be said, but it's more than that. Blood listens to you, Sunrise. It listens to you and it _obeys_ you. Whatever command you throw at it it will do. Your gift is one of manipulation, Sunrise, manipulation of the lifeblood that flows through everyone. Isn't it wonderful?"

 _No, no that's terrible! That's not wonderful. It's a gift that someone like..._ Sunrise shuddered and her knees near gave way. _It's a gift someone like Crimson would have._

"So I'm evil then. Just like everyone said I would be. Can't wait to wake up and tell everyone they were right all along."

"Oh, Sunrise, no, no. Having this gift doesn't make you evil. Being evil is a choice. If you choose to use this power for evil then and only then are you evil. But you can use this power to help your family, help your Clans. A cause such as that can only be described as good. You see? This power doesn't have to make you evil, Sunrise."

She nodded sadly. "But where did I get this power from? Why do I have it?"

"You are the offspring of two of the most powerful cats that ever walked this world, Sunrise. It was to be expected that you would be born with some sort of power. Crimson tore that world apart in search of the domination she sought. When you were born you were born into a world flooded with blood. So the gift bound to your very bones was to be one of blood. It's the way things work, Sunrise. One's circumstance of birth will always decide the life they will live."

A harsh wind swept over the cliff top. It clawed its way by Sunrise, yanking her fur back almost painfully. The blood at her paws spread even further. She tried to ignore the hum she felt at the back of her mind. Was this how she would always feel now? This near irresistible pull towards the blood that flowed through the bodies of her friends, would it always linger in her mind? She wondered briefly if she might kill again. Perhaps it would be one of her family that fell the next time. Would she wander back to consciousness to find Willowclaw's limp body resting near her?

"Can you teach me to control it?" she faced her dark friend hoping that the intensity of her question shone bright in her eyes. "Can you teach me not to accidentally kill someone with it again?"

It grinned, white fangs glinting in the night. "I thought you would never ask. I can teach you how to wield your gift properly. But not killing accidentally is up to you. You are the one who feels the tug towards blood, not me. It is up to you to make sure that tug remains nothing more than a tug until you actually want to spill blood."

"Don't you have any advice!?" Sunrise cried. "I don't know how to stop it! You saw me just before, as soon as I became aware of the blood I couldn't stop myself from wanting more of it. Just how am I supposed to make sure I don't do that again!?"

"Ignore it, perhaps? You've only recently become an apprentice, Sunrise. They aren't going to be sending you to war anytime soon. Avoiding bloodshed shouldn't be too hard for the next few moons. That should give us enough time to figure out how to control your gift."

Sunrise sighed in relief and smiled slightly. She was glad her dark friend was by her side all the time. "Thank you."

"It is the least I can do to help my friend," it grinned back.

"Can...can you tell me who I killed?" Sunrise stared at the cat she'd killed. She wanted to know that it was indeed just some loner that had gotten lost in the mountains. It would make her feel a little better to know she hadn't killed any of her Clanmates.

"Oh? You don't know yet? Didn't Eaglestrike tell you?" It was beyond unsettling to watch it's face twist from soothing to maniacal in a matter of heartbeats. "Now that's a little bit rude. Everyone needs to see the face of the first cat they killed." It drifted close to the body, brushing a nearly solid paw down their side, their fur shifting where it touched. "Are you sure you want to know, Sunrise? Once you know you can't forget. Their face will haunt your every nightmare; will linger in your every dream."

Sunrise swallowed nervously, and then nodded. "Show me."

It touched the body and coloured flooded into it. Dark fur turned into patches of gold and brown and black. Sunrise felt her heart seize. Thin, bones jutting out, fur that looked rough but was smooth to the touch. She knew that body. Her friend grasped the body's head between two paws and shifted it so that it was staring up at Sunrise. A choked cry erupted from her throat. Glassy greenish-blue eyes stared back at her.

Her scream was lost to the fading world. Alongside it thundered a hideous laugh.

" _You are glorious, Sunrise."_

The apprentice's den was empty when Sunrise jerked awake, panting, chest heaving, eyes wide with fear. She allowed a pitiful, quiet cry to tear itself free from within. How could she have done something so terrible to someone she cared so much for? Oh how she hoped her friend had been dead when she'd dragged the blood from her body. Had she just sat and listened to the final screams of her friend, yearning to touch the blood that flooded from her body?

She'd killed Hope. Singe's last remaining daughter, his final reminder of the mate he'd lost, was gone; and it was her fault. Hope's blood had been spilt by her claws and by her mind. She hadn't just killed a loner. She'd killed a Clanmate, a friend.

"I can't control it," Sunrise whimpered. "I can't. If I can kill her then I can kill anyone. You were wrong. This is something I can't do." She needed someone to talk to, someone that would wrap her up and keep her warm, someone that would tell her it was going to be okay. She needed Eaglestrike.

Outside the den the Clans had gathered. A stifling silence hung over them. It felt oppressive and wrong. She walked closer to the crowd, ears pricked to hear what they might be all talking about. Through the bodies she spotted Eaglestrike's reddish pelt next to Willowclaw's darker, tabby fur. Beside him, hunched over in clear defeat, was Singe. His red pelt covered in black spots that could be described as burn marks was unique. Sunrise flattened her ears against her skull. Had they discovered Hope's body already?

"We can send out more patrols if you think it's necessary, Singe. But all the others have come back empty-pawed. There simply isn't a single sign of Hope anywhere," Amory said quietly. He didn't even look all that sad. Maybe he'd just never gotten to know her very well.

Sunrise remembered the moment Eaglestrike had thrown Hope from the cliff top. He had to have recognised the sickly apprentice and yet he'd still let her fall. If they'd gotten her back to Marah could the healer have saved her? _But Hope might have told everyone that I'd attacked her. The Clans would have killed me._ Eaglestrike had done the one thing he knew would keep Sunrise safe. He'd gotten his own paws covered in blood.

She squeezed through the crowd desperate to reach the cat that had thrown an apprentice off a cliff to keep her safe. He needed to know how thankful she was. He also needed to know that she might, _might_ be able to learn to control it. A few warriors stared down at her when she wriggled her way past them but none stopped her from getting closer. She paused briefly when she realised that she'd need to act like she had no idea where Hope had gone. _At least I won't have to act sad._ Shifting by Honeyleap, Sunrise reached Eaglestrike and slipped in front of him, nestling between his paws and pressing her face against his chest. If she didn't look at Singe then maybe she would feel anymore guilt.

It didn't work.

Eaglestrike lifted a paw to pull her even closer against him. It was like he could feel just how much she needed him in that moment. She hoped he didn't notice his fur dampening where it was pressed against her face. He must have for he leaned down and nuzzled her gently.

"I don't want to put any more pressure on the Clans...but she is my daughter." Singe sounded so broken. "If it's okay with you Amory I am more than okay with patrolling by myself. That way the Clans can continue on with their necessary duties with no interference."

Amory sighed. "You know I would like to approve that, Singe, but it's just too dangerous to be searching the mountains by yourself. We still don't know if the furthest parts of our territory are entirely safe. I can't let you throw away your life. We need all our warriors alive, now more than ever."

"I won't let him patrol by himself," Fadedtail called out. "If there's any chance Hope is still alive I refuse to let her die out in the mountains all alone."

"Fadedtail is right. We need to find her, dead or alive," Huntinglion said.

"I'll leave it up to the Clans to make up extra patrols to search for Hope," Amory gave his permission. "Though if we do find her and she tells us she went into the mountains by herself she will be punished. She knows the rules about apprentices leaving the basin alone."

Singe nodded in understanding. "Thank you, Amory."

"Don't thank me, thank your Clan. They are the ones that have offered to search even longer for your daughter," Amory reminded gently.

"They already know how thankful I am," Singe replied.

"Come on then!" Wrenfeather shouted, "Let's go find Hope!"

The irony was not lost in Sunrise. They were searching for hope that they could not find in the form of a little apprentice that had simply gotten caught up in something that had nothing to do with her at all.

As the crowd dispersed most heading out to search for prey or for Hope, Eaglestrike released his tight grip on Sunrise and looked down at her. "You know, don't you?"

"Yes. I know what I did."

"Let's talk outside the basin. We don't need anyone else finding out," he said quietly, shoving Sunrise to her paws and directing her towards the sloping exit. They didn't go very far, just over a stagnant pool of water filled by a recent rainstorm and into a copse of trees, the ground beneath their paws sloping down a little. A bird twittered loudly further into the cool shadows of the trees but neither cats were interested in catching it. They had far too much on their minds to worry about prey in that moment. Soon their hunger would be a constant reminder in their stomachs, but that time was yet to come.

They sat in silence for quite a while, leaning against each other under the watchful gazes of the fir trees. The exhaustion that had settled into their bones was a kind Eaglestrike had felt more than once. It was an exhaustion that started in the mind and spread like a disease to the rest of the body, sapping away every drop of energy. He drew his tongue across Sunrise's head rhythmically. She was too young to be a killer.

"You knew it was Hope and you still dropped her off the cliff. Why?" Sunrise whispered.

He tried to not think about the way Hope had twitched in his grasp before he'd let her go. "I had to protect you. If her body had been found they would have smelt your scent all over her. They would have killed you. I wasn't about to let that happen, I will never let that happen. You mean too much to me, too much to the others as well. Tornheart put you in our care; I don't want her to have to hear that you've been killed."

"If they find out will you die as well?" She stared up at him with her mismatched eyes and she looked so sad and so scared.

"They won't find out, Sunrise. All we need to do is forget that it ever happened. You promised me that it would never happen again. I trust you to keep that promise. After today we'll never talk about this again, okay? It'll be like it never happened," Eaglestrike breathed it into her fur, making sure what he was saying settled into her very bones.

She tried not to shiver. If Eaglestrike didn't want to talk about it then she'd have no one to talk to. "So we aren't going to talk about it anymore?"

"I dropped an apprentice off a cliff after you somehow most of their blood from the body and dangled it around your head. Not to be blunt or anything, but I would much rather prefer that we never speak about it again. Can we do that, Sunrise? Can we just forget that it happened?" It almost sounded like he was begging. She felt a familiar spike of guilt. He'd done so much to help her.

"Yeah. Yeah I can do that. We won't talk about it anymore. Eaglestrike?"

"Yes, Sunrise?"

"I love you."

"I love you too, Sunrise. I love you too."

A shadow watched their discussion with sharp eyes and when they left the copse so did she, moving quietly even with a slight limp. She wasn't surprised to see the sneaking around. The others mightn't have noticed yet but she had. Their little group was drifting apart. Home had driven a rift between them; home and a fair amount of secrets. It had hurt Icepetal to begin with, when Willowclaw had accused her of murdering anyone that crossed her path. Now it was just another accusation. She'd apologised for having to kill his friend. It was his turn to apologise for saying what he's said. She just wished he'd hurry up.

For now she was content with sitting back and watching their little group implode. Eaglestrike and Sunrise's secret would be the final straw. Their secret would destroy anything ounce of friendship left between them. Especially since it was such a big secret.

"The great Eaglestrike threw an apprentice off a cliff after his apprentice near killed her. That's something I would never imagine I'd hear," she said to herself as she navigated her way through the trees. Still, she was concerned for Sunrise. Something had driven the apprentice to kill her friend. She wanted to know what happened, she wanted to wrap Sunrise up and tell her it would all be okay. But she wasn't supposed to know so she couldn't do a thing. It angered her that Eaglestrike was so adamant at keeping it a secret. They could all help Sunrise. But he wasn't going to let them.

"I'm sorry, little warrior, but you're on your own. You can do it, though. You're stronger than you think."


	16. Chapter Sixteen: Breach

**Chapter Sixteen: Breach**

It would always amaze her how quiet the valley was now. Her mind would not let her forget days long past of hunting tirelessly for her Clan, of returning and settling into a warm spot to watch her Clan move around her. She'd loved being part of a Clan more than anything. It was home, it was family, and it was a place she belonged. It just wasn't the same when they were surrounded by cats from other Clans. She did _understand_ why Amory had done what he'd done. The Elementals and starvation had been too much for the Clans to deal with by themselves. Uniting was the only way to stay alive. Still, the quiet world around her just served to make her miss the way things used to be.

She sighed and turned her attention to RisingClan's abandoned land. It was pretty, she decided, in a chaotic way. The towering shards of ice had begun to clear, distorted shapes blinking through them. Cracks ran up and down their sides, long fingers reaching out to each other. She wondered if they'd ever shatter, or if they'd remain a reminder of the dark times that had befallen the valley. When they returned to the valley – _when_ not _if_ – would the scars go away?

RisingClan's territory was not where she wanted to be. She wanted to be in the shadows of the trees where ambush was least likely, though she wasn't sure if the Elementals could just sense her in the valley. Maybe they'd leave her alone. Maybe they'd sense that she meant no harm, that all she wanted to do was cast her eyes on her home and see the destruction for herself. It was reason enough to risk being killed by Amory for breaking one of his rules. She needed to see her home.

Dying grass, rotten pines and firs, towering ice shards, dust and dirt, they all faded into the cool shadows RogueClan's territory boasted. Their territory had fared rather well. Only the patches of snow and frozen swamps showed the mark of the Elementals. Fallen trees and rotten logs were abundant in their dark forest. Prey scuffled quietly through the underbrush. There was more here than up in the mountains. Starvation had followed the Clans into the clouds. It was a difficult killer to shake.

Yet her stomach did not growl. The smell of fresh prey crawled past her nose but her stomach did not demand her catch it. Maybe she was more unsettled than she thought. Every scrape of branch against branch had her pelt bristling, every twig snapping had her whirling around to face whatever danger was looming in the shadows. Nothing was there, nothing was ever there, but she did not stop and the nerves did not go away. She'd been on the receiving end of the power the Elementals sported. It was not something she wanted to face again.

The stench of death permeating the air around RogueClan's camp was stifling. She could see the dying bramble claws reaching through the swamp. A log bridge presented itself before her, leading over a pool of what had once been thick mud but now was only ice. She could cross it. She could brave the chaos. Why would she want to? All that remained in that camp was a mound of bodies. Cats a friend had once known.

It was pleasant to leave the stench behind and enter fresher, cooler air. In her bones she felt home calling her. The air always grew colder the further one ventured towards the snow plains. _Home._ She hoped that nothing had scarred it.

"I never thought I'd see you down here again."

Arrogant, confident, _pompous_. His voice practically dripped it. Turning she met his fiery eyes with her cold ones. He looked just as surprised as she was, forepaw raised in mid-step, head lowered to avoid a low hanging tree branch. His ears twitched, and a lazy grin made its way across his face. It made him appear younger, eyes scrunching up as his smile grew wider.

His relaxed posture didn't stop her from opening her mouth in a hiss, fur bristling down her spine.

"I'm sorry!" he yelped hastily, backing up so quick he banged his head into the branch he'd been trying to avoid. "I didn't mean to startle you."

"The cat that tried to kill me is apologising for startling me?" she scoffed, "have you forgotten who I am? _What_ I am?"

He shook his head. "I haven't forgotten. Besides, it's not hard to miss the scent of Clan cats that pours from you. You certainly weren't attempting to be very subtle, were you? What are you doing down here?"

"I wanted to come home."

"Oh, right. But it's really dangerous down here for you. Especially for you," he said quietly.

She rolled her eyes. "It's surprisingly easy to avoid four cats in a big valley. I took my chances." A sigh fell, "and I suppose I lost. Go on then, kill me. I know how much you and your kin despise Clan cats."

"We don't despise Clan cats. We're just doing our job," he replied. "It's nothing personal."

"It's personal to me. You've destroyed my home, and the homes of others. You've killed countless Clan cats. It might not seem personal to you but it is _very_ personal to me," she hissed.

He curled his lip. "Would you kill a rogue that wandered into your home?"

"No. I'd chase him out. Killing goes against the Code."

"It certainly doesn't seem that like Code of yours exists anymore. Before we attacked your valley we witnessed Clan cats slaughtering each other for mere scraps. _Each other._ Without hesitation. You and your Clan-mates are a stain on this world, loitering behind your mighty mountain walls pretending that you are the best of the best; that you were born with some higher purpose. There is nothing about you that makes you any more important than any other cat beyond those mountains. Yet none of you seem to realise this. You will be your own destruction. We're just here to hurry the process along," he spat.

Her face twisted with rage. "You know nothing of the pain we have been forced to fight through for _seasons._ You and your kin are nothing new to us, and like every other time we will survive."

A quiet purr thrummed in his throat, "are all Clan cats as resilient as you? I bet a bloodline like yours is potent."

"I am no pure-blooded Clan cat, in fact there's no Clan blood in me at all. My bloodline is dark, and dirty," she muttered.

"Is that what they tell you?" he stepped closer to her, eyes sympathetic. "That you are less because you aren't pure? Yet you are still completely prepared to defend them with your life. I don't understand."

She snorted and flicked her tail at him. "I took vows when I became a warrior to upkeep the Code. That Code tells me to give my life for my Clan. I am not about to break those vows because a few warriors want to call me a rogue. Would you give your life for your kin?"

"We aren't actually related," he retorted. "I don't know if I'd be willing to lay my life down for them. I can't imagine any of them doing the same for me."

"Loyalty is a trait we Clan cats hold close."

He laughed, smile blooming once again. "Throwing yourself in the line of danger to save a Clan-mate is the only death I can see befitting you."

"So you aren't going to kill me?" she said slowly. Confused was an understatement. Standing before her was the fiery coloured tom that had set the ground alight beneath her paws. He and his kin – related or not – had killed more than their fair share of other Clan warriors. So why wasn't he going to kill her?

"No. I'm not," he sighed, then glanced away. "It doesn't make me seem very menacing, does it?"

"Oh I don't know, I still have _very_ fond memories of you attempting to set me on fire," she remarked dryly.

He shrugged his shoulders looking almost sheepish. "It's my job."

"A job given to you by a cat that is now dead. There's nothing keeping you here to complete it. You could just leave."

"Ah," he shook his head, "I'm afraid Ice is a little bit obsessed with the task Crimson assigned us. She's our leader. We can't leave unless she says so."

"What are you even trying to accomplish? The valley is empty and dead. All the Clan cats are up in the mountain, living a whole new life. What is the point of squatting in a home that isn't yours?" she growled, eyes narrowing.

When he looked at her there was a fierce promise hidden in the depths of his eyes. "Creation cannot come about without destruction. The two work paw in paw. We are one part of a plan larger than this world." His expression softened, "it's not something I can explain easily, warrior. But it is a beautiful thing, something to look forward to. I promise you that there will still be Clan cats alive when creation comes about."

"I've already told you that wiping out the Clans is impossible," she sniffed, "we don't need your help to survive."

"I'm afraid this time you do. Would it be silly to ask you to trust me?"

She couldn't help but laugh at the ridiculousness of his question. "Trusting an enemy is something I've never done and never will do. You have no chance of me ever trusting you."

"Oh well, to say I'm surprised would be a lie. Come on then," he trotted off in the direction she had been heading, flattening grass under his paws.

"Come where?" she called sceptically. He might have said he wasn't going to kill her but that didn't mean his friends wouldn't.

He didn't stop to answer her question, just tossed a smile at her over his shoulder and beckoned her with his tail. "You wanted to see your home, didn't you? Come on, we don't have all day."

Despite every instinct in her body telling her to turn the other way and run she followed him. The trees grew sparser, the first sign that RogueClan's territory was drawing to an end. Thick swamp undergrowth gave way to the more spaced out foliage of SnowClan's alpine forest. Her pace quickened. Beneath her paws the ground became familiar. While the scent markers had long since faded she knew the moment she had crossed the border. She broke into a flat out run, leaping over fallen trees and bounding lightly across unearthed rocks. Ahead light poured into the forest. The trees stopped there. Beyond that line lay her home. Steep hills, thick patches of forest, green grass in the hot moons, white snow in the cold ones. _Home._

"No, wait! Please!"

Panting she burst free from the trees onto burnt, blackened land. Great hunks of earth had been clawed out leaving behind gaping wounds in the hillsides. The forests were reduced to leafless, frail wood, bent and broken. Smoke still floated lazily, breeze stirring up the ash choking the ground. The hills weren't green. The hills weren't white. The hills were black.

She slumped to the ground, and ash burst up around her. "So this is home now."

"You should have waited," he heaved in a gulp of air. "I could have warned you."

"No...no I needed to see this. I needed to know." Blurred eyes swept over her scarred home, taking in every scar, every wound. _They_ had done this. _Him._ The tom standing beside her. The one looking at her with sympathy. _He was responsible._ A growl thundered in the back of her throat. He had not time to react, she was too quick, sweeping his feet out from under him and shoving him to the ground. Her claws pricked at his throat. That strange light lit up her eyes, soaking him in blue. " _You_ did this."

All he had to do was think about it; imagine the flames devouring her whole.

"I know."

"Do you not have a home!?" she demanded. Her ears lay flat against her skull. "Isn't there somewhere that you dream about returning to every night!? This place was what I dreamed about every night while I hunted Crimson, and I come home to a burnt husk all thanks to _you_."

He stared right back at her, a dull glow lighting up the back of his eyes. "Destruction has to come before creation." A searing pain strangled his next words. Blood seeped down his cheek and dripped from her claws. He really had no right to be as shocked as he was.

"I don't care about any of that," she loomed over him, all sharp teeth and even sharper claws. "I don't care what excuses you're using to justify this. It's _wrong._ We're starving up in those mountains because you won't allow us to come back down." Those cold eyes sparked even brighter. "I could kill you."

Those claws at his throat dug a little deeper, skin about ready to give in under the pressure. He wondered if she could feel the pulse thundering within. It had been a long time since he'd been the one a foxleap away from death. He refused to look away from her. _Let her watch the light die from my eyes. Let her know what killing feels like._

A moment passed. The pressure against his throat weakened, and then disappeared altogether. "If you kill me you're one step closer to coming home. Why won't you?"

"I don't know."

"Haven't you ever killed before? I know it's difficult to do."

He wasn't quite prepared for the bark of harsh laughter that escaped her mouth. "I have killed more times than you think. I'm quite good at it. You didn't think I made it all the way to Crimson's lair and back without taking a single life? There are more corpses beneath the ground because of me than you think."

"Yet you still won't kill me."

"No," she moved away from him, back in the direction of the trees, no doubt to return to the mountains. "I won't."

He didn't get up just rolled onto his side. "We're coming tonight."

"Why are you telling me? Isn't that betraying your kin?" She didn't look back at him.

"Because I want to promise to you that I will bring you home after all this is over," he said earnestly.

She shook her head. "I don't understand you."

"I never asked you to understand me. Will I see you again, down here?"

"Maybe. That depends on what happens tonight," she replied. "Goodbye, Fire."

"My name is Cyrith. Fire is just a nickname." He blinked at her, smiling, when she looked at him over her shoulder. That strange light was gone; all that was left was a soft curiosity.

An approving noise hummed in her throat. "I prefer Cyrith."

/-\

Willowclaw tapped Sunrise's haunches with his tail. "Down a little lower, if that sticks up too high you'll be waddling around like a duck. Keep your tail off the ground, yes I know it gets exhausting after a while but if it brushes against anything you'll alert your prey. Paws light, weight spread evenly. See, perfect hunting crouch."

"You're a better mentor that Eaglestrike," Sunrise pouted from her crouch. Her tongue poked out, face schooled into a look of concentration. It was hard to remember everything and do it all at once. She kept forgetting to keep her tail off the ground, or she'd forget to look at the ground and step on a leaf or something.

"It's usually better to have a mentor that can actually perform the tricks they're trying to teach. I can explain a hunting crouch but I can't pull one off very well," Willowclaw reminded. "You've seen me hunt. It's awful."

"Well, I've certainly seen better," Sunrise muttered under her breath. A paw thudded into her side, tossing her off balance and sending her thumping into the ground. "Hey!"

The sun was beginning to set, pink and orange and red melting into one on the horizon. Out past Crimson's mountain – big enough even to be seen from so far away – night crawled slowly closer. The darkening sky grew with each moment just as the sun shrunk. A spattering of stars was appearing. They seemed warmer these days. The encroaching night-time cast long shadows that fell over the basin. Already a few apprentices and warriors had retreated to their nests. The rest reclined in the cool. Eaglestrike was sitting with some of the senior warriors, grinning at something one of them had said. Singe watched Sunrise with a half-opened eye, making quiet remarks every now and again on how she could approve.

Dancingwave napped beside him. She had been helping, showing Sunrise a few tricks here and there. But the ex-RisingClan leader had allowed herself to slip into a light sleep. No one had the heart to wake her. The attack that had driven RisingClan up into the mountain had nearly killed her, and it seemed that she rarely slept well anymore.

Pebblepaw and Spottedpaw, sisters, were watching from a distance, trying to copy Willowclaw's instructions without him noticing. He had offered for them to join Sunrise but they'd shaken their heads shyly without saying a word.

A shape padded into the basin. Icepetal glanced over at Sunrise, gaze sliding briefly over Willowclaw, and offered a quiet hello to which Sunrise returned with far too much excitement. "Icepetal! Willowclaw's been teaching me how to hunt for ages but he won't show me any fighting moves. Will you?"

"Sure," Icepetal smiled slightly. "Come here and I'll give you a tip."

Sunrise moved so quickly she nearly tripped over her own paws. "Tell me, tell me!"

"Okay, listen closely." Icepetal leaned down to whisper in her ears, "throw all your weight at his paws to knock them out from underneath him."

"Oh, right," Sunrise's grin turned mischievous and she promptly did what she'd just been told, throwing herself at Willowclaw's paws with all her strength. It did little more than sway him a bit.

"It's a good trick," Willowclaw laughed. "It might work a little better when you grow some more."

"Don't be too bothered about not being able to budge him. There's a lot of him to budge," Singe put in cheekily.

Willowclaw scowled at him. "I am not above sitting on you."

"It's true, he sat on Eaglestrike when he tried to make him hunt," Icepetal purred.

"I thought we were never going to mention that again," he muttered.

Dancingwave stifled a yawn. "It was lovely and quiet here a few moments ago."

"Sorry," Singe said. "Did you sleep well?"

"Better than usual," the she-cat answered sleepily.

Sunrise bounced over to the warrior with a wide smile and bright eyes. "Can you tell me another story, Dancingwave?"

"Mm that depends on what one you want to hear."

"Any one!"

"Alright then, listen closely to this one. It's about my daughter, Shatteredlight."

Icepetal leaned over to Willowclaw while Sunrise was preoccupied. "Can I talk to you for a moment?"

He nodded, maybe a little too eagerly, and followed her away from any listening ears. "What do you need? Is this about what happened down in the valley?"

"...No. It's not. You already know I'm sorry about what happened to Plummet but I really don't want to get into that right now. It's about Eaglestrike and Sunrise...and Hope."

"You know something about Hope?" Willowclaw leaned closer, "tell me! Any good news Singe needs to know about immediately. It's killing him to think that Hope's all alone out in the mountains."

Icepetal stared at him. "You think she's still alive?"

He shuffled his paws and shrugged, "I need to believe she's still alive for Singe. I can't give up on her. Singe needs Hope. She's all he has left."

"What would you do if you found out someone had murdered her?" Icepetal asked slowly.

"I'd find them and kill them for taking the life of an apprentice."

Icepetal took a deep breath. "I'm not sure if what I know is really the truth but I feel like you should know. It's important to us as the Chosen, and it regards Sunrise. Something happened the night Hope went missing and Sunrise had something to do with it. I overheard her and Eaglestrike talking about it, he was telling her that he just wanted to forget about it, that he didn't want to talk about it anymore."

"Talk about what, Icepetal? Tell me. Please," Willowclaw pleaded.

"You have to promise me you won't do anything stupid."

"I promise I won't do anything stupid."

"Okay. Sunrise took Hope out of the basin that night. How they got all the way out to Lone Peak I don't know but...but once they were out there Sunrise _killed_ Hope. Eaglestrike said she drained nearly all of Hope's blood somehow and was making it hang in the air. It all sounds so bizarre and strange. But...Sunrise killed her, and Eaglestrike covered it up. He doesn't plan on telling us either," Icepetal explained. She desperately hoped Willowclaw wasn't going to do anything stupid. Telling him had taken her all night to decide, but she needed someone to talk to about it. Sunrise's life was on the line. If the Clans found out that she'd killed Hope they wouldn't hesitate to kill her.

Willowclaw looked stunned. " _Why?_ Why would she kill Hope? Why would she kill anyone?"

"I don't know, Willowclaw. She's never _ever_ shown any signs of being a killer. Look at her; she looks like she could never hurt anyone." Icepetal pressed her face into Willowclaw's neck. "What are we going to do? Eaglestrike is refusing to talk to Sunrise about it which means he won't tell us, and Sunrise is probably too scared to even mention it. What if it happens again? What if she kills again?"

He shook his head, "she won't. This was a mistake. She won't do it again. Just you see."

Icepetal stiffened suddenly, the sharp scent of blood rising in the air. A long slice ran up her shoulder fresh blood oozing from it. The ground beneath their paws growled angrily. Ice spread over the grass.

"Well would you look at _this_."

 _"_ _No._ "

She stepped gracefully over the lip of the basin, cold air following her every movement, thicker ice smothering the ground under her paws. "This is rather cosy don't you think, Wind?"

"I don't find the idea of being surrounded by stone very appealing," Wind scowled.

Ice hummed in agreement. "What about you, Fire? Don't you think it could be a little... _warmer?"_

Heat followed his stare, molten hot, and that dull light behind his eyes grew to a red hot flame. "A little warmer indeed," he purred.

The Clan cats in the basin watched with horrified expressions, frozen in place, watching their nightmares pick their way into their new home. So much had been placed on those strong mountain walls. Now they watched them crumble. The mountain walls had been breached.

A fork of lightning split the cloudless sky.

"Let's _play_ ," Ice laughed.


	17. Chapter Seventeen: Weakness

**Chapter Seventeen: Weakness**

" _Marah!_ " Amory stepped away from the willow leaves, back arched and pelt bristling. His precious walls had been breached. Those monsters he'd seen in the valley were waiting just beyond the greenery. He had never faced anything like them in his life; those creatures that used the world as a weapon. The Clans were going to perish in their stone home trapped by the walls he had promised would keep them safe. _Everything I've done, all the honeyed words, all for naught._ He hissed angrily.

"What, Amory? What do you expect me to do? I am no match for them," Marah shuffled out of her den. Her tortoiseshell coat was ruffled in places, and her eyes hung heavy. "Their power exhausts me. I can feel it like a rock on my shoulders, growing heavier and heavier."

"I already know how powerful they are. I don't need you to remind me. Get the kits and the apprentices and _get out_. Go back down into the lowlands, make sure they survive. We are so close, Marah. I refuse to see all our efforts go to waste," Amory demanded.

A Noble, pelt a smooth gray, stumbled in through the leaves. Scarlet streaked his sides. The cries of war followed him. "Amor-" Pale, _pale,_ blue flashed by him; a shard of cool ice. His head rolled from his shoulders; his body splashed into a puddle of red.

"Go, Marah. Take as many of the kits and apprentices as you can. I _will_ find you."

"Try not to die." Marah crept as close to the basin wall as she could, sparing a last glance at the golden tom, before the leaves swallowed her.

Amory steeled himself and left the safety of the willow's embrace behind. His Clans were in chaos. The four responsible for it ran riot through them, flinging fire and ice and lightning like it was a game. Stones and rocks clattered into the basin, ricocheting off of skulls. Oh how he hated these Elementals. "Do not back down!" he roared, "Defend your home! Throw everything you've got at them!" _Give me your lives. Give me everything you've got. Do not fail me._

"We can't beat them!" Sinkingsun appeared by his side looking absolutely terrified.

"We can if we try," he told her.

She gaped at him. "You don't understand what they are capable of!"

"They don't understand what we are capable of either." His keen eyes picked up Eaglestrike entangled with Fire, the warrior flashing vicious fangs that searched desperately for his enemy's throat. Amory's mouth unknowingly curved into a smile. "Fight for your Clan, Singingriver. Fight for the ones those monsters took from you. You are not allowed to run this time."

He did not wait for her answer, shoving his way past frozen warriors, hissing and snapping at them to get moving. Blood soaked his paws. A charred corpse fell beside him. The brambles that had been their dens writhed like snakes. Arcing in the blue sky above his head lightning flitted to and fro, streaking down to the ground to burn the ground. He could feel the energy thrumming through the ground.

"Clan cats!" Amory roared, "Respect your vows! Defend your home! They are useless save for their powers! You are trained from young kittens to fight with tooth and claw. Were they? Show these invaders just what you are all capable of. Be the hero you so desperately seek. Save _yourselves!_ "

Shadedsnow yowled a battle cry and pounced at Ice, slashing curved claws across the she-cat's chest. Red stained the flawless white. Around her the others surged to life, six Clans coming together to fight for what was theirs. _Four cats against an army,_ she smirked, _they don't stand a chance._ Her paws sought out Ice's, tripping her up, sending her tumbling to the ground. She looked offended. Shadedsnow towered over her with a wild grin.

Leaning down she murmured in Ice's ear, "this is for my Clan, you _monster_." Her teeth found bare throat. Ice didn't even flinch under her touch. Instead a giggle bubbled in her throat.

"Calling me a monster doesn't hurt me," Ice whispered back, "because I know I'm one. Here, let me show you." Her paw settled over Shadedsnow's heart and the warrior gasped at the chill that seeped into her skin. There was no time for her to even realise what was happening. Her bones became stiff. Her heart stuttered. She gave a final, shaky breath. When Ice removed her paw Shadedsnow was frozen solid, hidden beneath a thin veil of white-blue.

She jumped to her paws, grinning wickedly, and snagged an apprentice trying to dash by. He wailed and shrieked, squirming in her tight grip. "No, no, there's no need to be afraid, tiny warrior. It'll be quick and easy and not in the slightest bit painful. I promise."

"What won't be painful?" he cried.

"Losing your throat." His scream tapered off into a quiet gurgle, blood bubbling out from between his lips and gushing from his slit throat. "This is delightfully fun! We should have done this _much_ earlier, Wind!"

Wind huffed, ducked under Aspenthorn's paw, blowing him backwards with a sharp gust of air. "Do you ever think about anything else other than murder?"

Slipping by the two she-cats Fire laughed loudly. Behind him he left a trail of spot-fires and scorched ground. "She's been thinking about it since birth and she won't stop thinking about it until she dies!"

Heavy paws slammed into Ice's side before she could respond. For the second time that day she smacked into the ground, this time with more than just an offended expression. A vicious snarl ripped free from her mouth. Rolling onto her side she prepared to mutilate her assailant with her ice only to meet narrowed amber eyes set into a familiar broad head. Her ferocity waned a little, and a sly grin grew.

"Hello, Willowclaw. Did you miss me?" she purred.

"Not even slightly," Willowclaw retorted, snapping at her face. She kicked him in the stomach, enjoying the pained groan, and slid out from under his paws. The temperature around them dropped considerably, breath billowing out in clouds in front of their muzzles. An irritated shout from Fire went ignored, as did his yelp of pain.

Ice blinked slowly, fixed her eyes on Willowclaw's throat as he barrelled towards her, and released the power built up in her veins. He flinched when the shards bit into his skin deep enough to spray blood but shallow enough for him to keep going. Something Icepetal had taught him sprang to mind. Ice lowered herself closer to the ground bracing herself for the impact. As she did Willowclaw leaped, heavy paws aiming to break her back. It might not kill her but it would render her immobile for at least a little while. Of course for that to happen Willowclaw had to actually make contact.

Before he could a rock nearing the size of his head collided with his haunches sending him crashing painfully into the side of the basin. He attempted to scramble back to his paws but the pain in his back sent him crumpling back down. A long icicle speared him through his flank and anchored him to the ground. He cried out. The bottom of the icicle was turning red with his blood.

"Time to get you out of the way," Ice growled.

Willowclaw looked around for help. There were only four Elementals. Surely there was a Clan cat somewhere coming to his aid. What he saw made his stomach drop. Tall flames devoured one corner of the basin, and in front of them Eaglestrike still struggled against Fire; Thrushfoot and Seastripe fought with him. Their own dens had turned on them, lashing brambles keeping half the Clans more than busy. They were like snakes, curling around paws, dragging warriors around like prey. He watched an elder tumble from the basin, flung by those cruel brambles. Amory grappled with Earth the two big toms a ball of fury, both streaked with gore. Wind's lightning still touched the ground though the strikes were less frequent now that she was preoccupied with Icepetal, Dancingwave, and Singingriver. It unnerved him slightly to see how in sync the three she-cats were.

No one was coming to help him.

He was in this alone, and Ice knew it.

"One less Clan cat in the world."

 _Where's Sunrise?_ He didn't want her to see this. He didn't want her to see him die. By the willow leaves she stood, mismatched eyes watching him with a terrible sadness. She knew what was happening, and she knew that she could do nothing to stop it. Willowclaw grit his teeth. He would _not_ die in front of her. Reaching around he snapped off the protruding length of ice and wiggled till he felt the part jammed in the ground break as well. More blood oozed out from around the ice, the pain making his head spin, but he refused to die there. This time his scramble to his paws was successful. He stood in front of Ice battered and bloodied yet prepared to kill her.

"You'll have to try a little harder than that."

Ice's face twisted in rage. "Why won't you Clan cats just die?" Her claws tore across the side of his neck just as his teeth met her head. Bringing a forepaw swinging up to dislodge her claws he grabbed at the side of her head and dug his teeth in deeper. She shrieked, writhing in his grip, forepaws battering at his chest to push him away. One caught the paw holding him up and he crashed to the ground, bringing her down with him. He felt his teeth meet and crack her skull. A wail fled her throat.

"Don't get back up," he whispered in her ear. Rearing up be brought is weight slamming down on her spine. The scream that left her throat echoed through the basin. "I don't care if your back heals itself. I don't want to see you move from this spot. Your immortality just makes it easier for me to hurt you over and over and over. Evading death isn't a gift. It's a curse."

Her breaths came in flurried gasps, and her eyes rolled back into her head. "We'll kill you _all_ ," she wheezed before laying still.

Other warriors were watching him he realised, with eyes wide and full of concern. He cocked his head and opened his mouth to ask why when a pang of pain shot through his side. A whimper escaped him as he shifted to glance over his burning skin. The ice spearing his flank had melted leaving behind a gaping hole that blood now gushed from. His vision wobbled, darkness fluttering beneath his eyelids. Through the fogginess he could just make out Icepetal fleeing from a tongue of fire. Beside her ran Eaglestrike. He felt the ground beneath his paws rumble before he slipped contently into the awaiting darkness.

Eaglestrike hoped Willowclaw was okay. The amount of blood pooling around him worried him more than he'd like to admit. For now he had other things to worry about. Ice's wail had brought the full fury of the other Elementals down on them. Fire's flames now burned hotter, singing their fur as they dashed by it. Earth shifted the very ground beneath their paws, knocking them off balance, sending them pitching into the dirt. Wind had fluffy, white clouds boiling on the horizon, and thunder crackling in the blue sky overhead. Her sides were heaving and stained red, but those clouds on the horizon just grew thicker and heavier with each passing heartbeat. He did not want to still be in the basin when whatever was brewing in them broke.

A crackle of energy resonated through the basin accompanied by a growl of thunder. The brambles sweeping across a cave set into stone walls were blown apart, green light seeping from the gloom. Two sets of eyes glinted in the darkness, warm yellow and electric green. Pure, volatile energy crackled from them, or rather, crackled from Tornheart. She looked furious when she stepped into the light, muzzle twisted into a snarl, eyes aglow with her magic.

"These Clans are _not_ your playthings," Tornheart snarled. The fighting came to a shuddering stop. "Your time in this valley has come to an end." She reached out with a paw to touch a shivering apprentice – Spottedpaw – crumpled on the ground, soaked in red. The deep gashes in her side closed up and the raw burns on her face disappeared. "And if you will not leave I will throw you from this mountain myself."

Wind crushed Thrushfoot's throat. "Who are you? _What_ are you?"

"I am an Upholder, and I am a Guardian, and these Clans are under my protection just as the rest of the world is," Tornheart stalked forwards, teeth bared, hackles bristling. Behind her Arrow followed looking just as angry.

For the first time since she had returned the Clanners did not look at her with their usual hatred and fear. They looked at her, when she stormed past them, with a sort of awe, and reverence. She was a protector, a guardian. She was here to protect them, this she-cat they had branded as a traitor. All the times they'd whispered her name as a curse, screamed how much they wanted to see her die, placed all the blame on her shoulders, forgotten. The Betrayer turned the Protector.

A flash of green sparked in the air. Wind screamed. The skin on her shoulder bubbled, boiled, and then burst. A sickening stench erupted into the air at the same time that a ferocious growl of thunder rocked the basin. The wind went mad, gusting and howling all around them. Wind's eyes blew wide, black pupil overtaking the blue. Those clouds on the horizon brewed thicker, faster, _closer_.

Earth made a dash towards Tornheart, Arrow met him halfway, tearing into the Elemental bringing his run to a _very_ sudden stop. The two met over and over, teeth and claws clashing together in painful clacks. Tornheart did not pause to watch her mate. She did not need to know that he would have Earth on his back as quick as he could. Another warrior watched their wounds heal themselves at her touch.

"Stay still," Arrow growled at Earth, body weight pressing the bulky tom into the ground. "If you do any of that magic stuff I'll break your neck. That should keep you down and out for a little while, eh?"

Fire found himself unable to move once Tornheart's gaze had swept over him, each limb locked up tightly. Even his head was stuck facing forward. Only his eyes could move, and they did, following the she-cat that thrummed with potent energy as she swept towards Wind. The only unaffected Elemental left, Wind gnashed her teeth at the approaching ex-Clanner, at the supposed _traitor._

"Don't think you can beat us so easily with a little bit of sparks," she hissed. "There isn't a creature alive in this world that can destroy us."

"No, there might not be. But I remember reading a story carved into the thrones about two Clans that do not exist anymore and the four monsters that destroyed them. You've been around for a very long time, but I'm sure you remember LightClan and DarkClan _extremely_ well. The story called it the Battle of the Ages. You terrorised those Clans just as you had terrorised everything in your path beforehand, and so the world created a monster to stop you. A Shadowstalker." Tornheart's muzzle twitched up into a sly grin, "a creature than can kill the immortal."

Wind pinned her ears to her skull and screeched, "How dare you speak of something you know nothing about! That battle, that _time_ , is long gone and the stories have it all wrong. You were not there. You do not know. This world cursed the land with a defiler because it assumed instead of asked. You think your knowledge and little magic tricks put you above us!? _All_ are beneath us. To us you are nothing but insects and to the Creator you are nothing but insignificant dirt clouding their once perfect creation!"

"For seasons up seasons you four have been the only thing sent to destroy the world. Don't you think if your Creator wanted this world gone they would have sent something else by now?" Tornheart pointed out. "You failed against DarkClan and LightClan, just as you will fail against us. Yet your Creator does nothing to help you. To me that says' they want us to survive."

" _Blasphemy!_ " Lightning flickered towards Wind and when it struck her it fluttered around her body, encasing her in a shield of winking white. Throwing back her head she snarled at Tornheart, "let me show you the power of my Creator."

"Too late," Tornheart purred in reply. "You fell for it." A gentle ray of green floated from her, tapping lightly on the lightning. It surged against the green with an angry flicker, then winked once and vanished. The fire within Tornheart's eyes grew brighter, hotter. Her power surged forwards wrapping itself around Wind's throat, channelling the lightning it had collected right into the she-cat's body. "I might not be able to kill you," she murmured as the strands clutched tighter around Wind's throat driving the air from her very lungs, "but I can certainly throw you before Death's very paws."

White clouds materialised overhead, and a light, chilling rain tumbled from them. The drops were soft, like feathers, drifting ever so lightly down to the ground. But it was cold, _freezing_ , and it soaked through to the bone quickly. It could even be described as being borderline snow. Amidst the rain Wind struggled against the power cutting off her airflow, a thin, reedy cry wrenching its way out into open air. Tornheart pushed harder. She could feel Wind's struggles growing weaker. _Just a little more._

There was a thud and a loud yelp from behind her. Arrow's frantic voice slipped through the rain, "he got away. _Tornheart look out!"_

She wasn't quick enough to pull her magic back, to use it against Earth. She wouldn't even get the chance to use her claw against him either. The muddied ground beneath her paws dropped away and she fell. It wasn't a very long fall or a particularly frightening one, but the air was still driven from her lungs when she landed. Plunged down into her very own earthen prison Tornheart could only look up and snarl at Earth. Her power sparked and ricocheted off the dirt walls, green strikes seeking to make contact with the enraged tom. In her lapse of concentration the threads tying Fire down released and he rocketed to his paws.

Icepetal was more than prepared to immobilise him once more, sweeping claws arching down to meet brutally with the side of his face. A healing wound was torn open once more. The spatter of blood blinded the fiery tom and he sent his flames burning wildly. Pure luck had it that a roar of fire caught Eaglestrike as he ran to Tornheart's aid. Curling over him wickedly it threatened to devour him whole. He cried out at the overwhelming heat singing his skin, glancing over to Icepetal for help he found her far too busy trying to keep Fire from starting anymore fires. There came a moment when she had the perfect opportunity to sink her teeth right into his throat and tear it from his body, but she hesitated. Fire whipped her feet out from under her. His teeth found the back of her neck and sunk in deep.

"No, Sunrise, don't!"

 _"_ _STOP!"_

The white clouds above them turned pitch black in an instant, massing over the sun, sending the basin and the valley and the entire world into a night-like darkness. Fire's flames cast strong light over the basin. They caught the shape of a small apprentice, shivering and afraid, standing amongst the chaos. She stumbled over tangles of brambles, tripped over the tails and paws of exhausted warriors, swallowed thickly as she passed by the cats that would never be getting up again, until she came to stand in front of Earth. The Elemental looked at her with curiosity, then stared up at the night sky as if she had been responsible for it.

"Please stop," Sunrise said quietly.

"Why?" Earth rumbled, "You are too young to understand what is happening here. Run along before you get hurt."

Sunrise shook her head. "I want you to stop because you are hurting my family. All they want is their home back. Can't you just give that to them?"

"Get away from him, Sunrise!" Icepetal yowled, writhing in Fire's grip. " _Run!_ "

"You should listen to your friend. She's giving you valuable advice," Earth growled.

"I'm not going to go anywhere until you promise me you're going to stop this," she repeated firmly.

Earth barked out a quiet laugh and turned his attention to the pit Tornheart was trapped within. The dirt walls shifted sending a shower down on her. Then they started to creep slowly closer. Pressed against one side Tornheart tried to shove the walls back with her own magic but it refused to work. Her sparks reached out and then fizzled before they could make contact. _Sunrise doesn't need to see this._

"Sunrise. Sunrise I need you to go. I need you to get as far away from here as possible, okay? Get away from the valley. Stay away from other cats. Just go. Now," Tornheart demanded.

"No!" Sunrise shouted. "I won't! I won't leave you here! You all promised to protect me and now I'm promising to protect you." There was a hum of energy slipping from Sunrise. Not quite as loud as the Elementals it nearly went unnoticed. A spark flashed in the depths of her blue eye. Darkness slithered towards her. "Promise me you'll leave us alone," Sunrise murmured.

"I refuse to make such a stupid promise to such a stupid kit," Earth snapped.

"Then die." Shadows, snakelike and quick, slithered up Earth's legs. Like flowing water they gushed over him, thick, black, _hissing_. He opened his mouth to shout a cry of surprise and they slipped inside him. Stifling silence fell over the basin broken up only by the choking sounds the tom made. Sunrise watched with an impassive face. Where her eyes landed the shadow followed. Where she imagined darkness it grew thicker. A pleased grin presented itself. She found that she quite liked seeing her own reflection in Earth's panicked eyes. They began to roll back into his head and, seeing the end in sight, Sunrise pushed those shadows further till she could feel them roiling deep in his gut.

Claws shredded the skin on the side of her neck. Shrieking in pain Sunrise tore her gaze away from Earth to the blood dripping onto her paws. _Her_ blood. The spark in her eye dimmed and the black clouds turned white once more. Ice stood over her, trembling and wide-eyed. She felt the darkness stirring within Earth dissipate into nothing and the Elemental sag to the ground in an unconscious heap.

"You exist again," Ice breathed. Fire was already dragging Earth towards the slope out of the basin. Wind staggered beside him.

Sunrise's vision went foggy, and then faded altogether.

 _"_ _A Shadowstalker."_


	18. Chapter Eighteen: Stillness

**Chapter Eighteen: Stillness**

He shoved his way out from the willow leaves already feeling the beginning of a searing headache beating at his head. Eaglestrike muttered all sorts of curses under his breath as he stomped over to the fresh kill pile and grabbed a small, white bird. Plucking the feathers would help him cool off a little. Three days. _Three._ That was all it took for the senior warriors to decide they were far too terrified to linger in the basin anymore and wanted out. They didn't want to give Amory a chance to figure something else out, they wanted to leave. He'd been arguing with them since dawn. It was now nearing evening.

Eaglestrike could understand their fear. The Elementals had smashed down any form of protection the Clans had felt in the mountains when they'd attacked three days ago. Recovery was an ongoing process. The basin was still a mess, stone walls gouged with deep cracks, brambles and bracken from the dens strewn everywhere, blackened scorch marks darkening the grass. There would be no struggling to rebuild the dens. Amory had ordered all cats to sleep under the willow hidden by the leaves. All the Clanners in one place would make watching over everyone much easier. No kit or apprentice would be able to sneak away. There would be no repeats of the accident that had taken Hope.

Singe still search everyday for her. No one had the heart to tell him that she was most likely dead by now, either dragged away by a hawk or sent away by the cold. Nights were deathly cold in the mountains. Leaf bare would prove more than difficult when it decided to show its face.

There was another reason for Amory wanting to remain in the basin. The Elementals attack had showcased Tornheart's raw power to everyone, as well as her desire to keep the Clans alive and safe. While there were many that still regarded her as a traitor, most were beginning to change their minds. She had yet to be returned to her cave. Arrow had not been forced into the darkness either. The attack had also thrown Sunrise right into Amory's paws. An apprentice by less than a moon she had been able to drive the Elementals off. He narrowed his eyes at the visions of thick shadows curling into Earth's mouth spurred on by Sunrise's molten gaze. It was hauntingly familiar to the night he'd found her drenched in Hope's blood.

Amory wanted to use her. She was to protect the Clans. She was to harness the power she had demonstrated in the rain and become a guardian for Clans that did not entirely trust her or like her. Eaglestrike wrinkled his nose. The idea disgusted him. Sunrise was not just a thing that Amory could push around. She was an apprentice with dreams that did not involve giving everything to a bunch of cats that didn't like her. _Those are the warrior vows, though. When she takes them she will have to do just that._ He didn't want to see her life cut short.

She had yet to wake up after passing out three days ago.

"No luck with the senior warriors?" Willowclaw flopped down beside him and swiped the bird he'd forgotten about. He spat a mouthful of feathers over Eaglestrike. "You look like you're about ready to explode."

"I am about ready to explode," he grunted and then sighed. "They are too scared to actually think straight. Every time I try to steer them away from the topic of the Elementals they just go careening straight back to it. They are supposed to be the _senior_ warriors, Willowclaw. They aren't supposed to be acting like scared kits. Can you imagine your senior warriors acting this way before all this? I know I can't. We need to be planning for leaf bare. Prey is already scarce up here. The valley is a no-go zone for them so we can't move back down there, and I refuse to see the Clans traipsing through the world beyond these mountains."

"If you want my opinion I don't think the Elementals will be back anytime soon," Willowclaw offered.

Eaglestrike furrowed his brow. "Why not? They know where we are. They could come kill us all whenever they wanted to."

"They tried to do that three days ago and three of them were beaten within an inch of their life. I have a hunch that if Tornheart hadn't been interrupted she would have killed Wind, and the same goes for Sunrise and Earth. We aren't so unmatched now. We stand a little bit of a chance against them," he replied around a mouthful of bird.

"We still suffered casualties, Willowclaw."

Shadedsnow, Thistlethorn, Thrushfoot, Lionlight, Seastripe. Dancingwave, and Spottedpaw had passed. Flight was gone, so were her two kits. Dustclaw was on the verge of death; Icepetal had yet to leave his side. A few of the Nobles had meant their demise as well; Braoin, Visha, and Surya. Most cats that had survived were injured in some way.

Eaglestrike shifted his gaze subtly to the mess of cobwebs on Willowclaw's side, knowing that there was an identical mess on his other side. He hadn't seen the ice pass through him, but he had heard the yell, and the babbled words that spilled from Willowclaw's mouth after the battle about him dying just like Rainpatch; speared through the middle.

He himself hadn't come away all too well either. Every movement reminded him with a dull twinge of the gory burns that spread down one side of his body. They curled up and over his head ending just above his eyes. It wasn't pretty. He could almost imagine his mother muttering about how much he looked like his father now, scarred and gruesome.

"War always takes cats away, Eaglestrike. We of all cats would be stupid to forget that," Willowclaw reminded.

"Is that what this is now? War?"

"They came into our home seeking to destroy us all. That sounds a lot like war to me."

Eaglestrike dropped his head onto his forepaws with yet another sigh. He was doing a lot of that nowadays. "What did Crimson teach you about war?" The question spilled from him before he could stop it and he cursed himself silently for it. That subject was extremely touchy, especially since Willowclaw had yet to mention any of it to Icepetal. Was Willowclaw worried that he'd tell her? It was a fair concern to have but Eaglestrike couldn't imagine himself going out of his way to cause more trouble between the two.

"That it's won by the cheaters. War is a game, a vicious, bloodthirsty game. It is not fair. It is not good. It is not diplomatic talks and deals. It is murders in the night and entire families slaughtered in the day. It is darkness and suffering and hopeless. You won't find a drop of goodness in war, Eaglestrike, and the longer it goes on the worse it gets. Whatever this is we have with the Elementals it needs to end sooner rather than later. Before they learn how to deal with Tornheart and Sunrise. Before they wipe us all out," Willowclaw said quietly. "That's what I was taught."

"Wow," Eaglestrike blinked a few times. "She really did teach you well."

"Don't pretend you don't think less of me because of it," he hissed.

Eaglestrike narrowed his eyes. "You were brought up by soldiers and then trained by Crimson, yet you were the one that killed her. I don't think any less of you. I just wish you had told me, and I still wish you would tell Icepetal. She deserves to know what happened to her mother."

"I know what she deserves," Willowclaw snapped. "But if I tell her now I'll lose her forever. So let me be selfish and wait a little longer. Apollo didn't tell you about her working for Crimson either. But I bet you still love her. Let me figure out my own problems. Keep your mouth shut about my past, Eaglestrike."

It was the first time anyone had mentioned Apollo since that night outside the city. He still had nightmares about how cold he was left when he watched her cross over to Crimson, watched her shed the cat he had fallen for and become a chilling assassin. It's something he will never be able to forget. Willowclaw was correct in his assumption. He did still love Apollo, and he would never stop; even if she never came back to him.

"How are your burns?" Amory's voice was a deep rumble. He hardly looked like he'd been in a battle when Eaglestrike glanced up at him. His sleek, golden fur was shining, not a single strand out of place. But it was the hunch in his shoulders that let him down. He had hardly slept since the attack, up all night keeping watch, making sure everyone else was being looked at by Marah. His usually brilliant smile was strained.

"They aren't very pretty," Eaglestrike joked, "but they don't hurt as much."

"I think they suit you. They give you the look of a seasoned warrior. Isn't that what most warriors want?" Amory sounded genuinely curious.

Eaglestrike looked at the wound covering his side. He didn't think it gave him the look of a seasoned warrior. It made him feel like he'd failed; if he'd only been quicker, if he'd only been _better_. "I guess. I'd rather they be a little smaller."

"Don't worry too much about them, they'll go away. All your fur will grow back and you'll look young and handsome once again," Amory reassured, pawing at a few of the stray feathers.

"Mm I suppose it will," he hummed. "Did you want something?"

"Can't a leader talk to his leading warrior without wanting something?"

Eaglestrike snorted. "You've been a little too busy recently to sit down for quiet chats in the evening. Have you even been to see Marah for your own wounds?"

"No need. Tornheart healed them. She's been helping Marah take care of the wounded. It's been good for Marah to have a little help. So many of us needed healing," Amory answered. He sat down with a quiet noise of content.

"Are you planning on imprisoning her again?" Eaglestrike glared at Amory hoping that the other would understand just how against that he was.

"No, I don't plan on doing that. We need her to help keep us all safe. If she wants to be the Guardian she claims to be then let her try. The other Clan cats will come to like and accept her eventually. But you do understand the crimes she committed, don't you? She is the reason the Clans fell in the first place. She lured her own birth Clan back to their camp to be slaughtered. There are some who will take much longer to forgive her." Amory knew far too much about the past, a past he had nothing to do with. It surprised Eaglestrike. For him to know about that then he had to have asked about it. He _wanted_ to know about the Clans.

Eaglestrike softened his glare. "I do know what she did, Amory. But I also know how much she's been through trying to fix that mistake. Those scars on her face are her punishment. The loss of her family is her punishment. The curses, the names, the rejection, they are all her punishment. She doesn't need to be punished anymore."

"I trust your judgement," Amory agreed. "How is Sunrise? Has she woken up yet?"

"No. She's still asleep. Marah seems to think she'll wake up when she's ready to. I don't really know why she passed out. Maybe she pushed her body too far. I just want her to wake up soon," he admitted.

"She will. Do you know anything about her power? What she did to finish the battle?"

His mind flashed back to a bloody scene, Sunrise drenched in scarlet. "I didn't know anything about it. Well I guess it shouldn't really be a surprise. Her mother was extremely powerful and so was her father. It's not odd that she should inherit some sort of power from them."

"Do you believe she will be able to control it?" Amory questioned carefully.

"Are you asking me if my apprentice, the kit my friends and I rescued and have looked after, will become evil like her parents just because she has a strange power?" Eaglestrike growled.

"I need to know. The Clans protection comes first."

"Sunrise is not going to grow up and become her mother. This power does not change her personality. This power does not change _her_. She can learn to control it. I know she can," he replied firmly. In the back of his mind he remembered telling her he wanted nothing to do with her power. _But one power she killed with and the other she saved with. Are they both the same? Are they different? Are they really an inheritance from her parents?_

Amory nodded and smiled slightly. "You are very fond of her. Tell me, Eaglestrike, have you ever had kits?"

"No, I've never had kits."

"Is there a special cat in your life? You don't seem particularly close with anyone else other than the friends you travelled with."

His questions were starting to veer into dangerous territory. The memories they were bringing up were unpleasant to say the least. A cracked head cradled between bloody jaws, pretty green eyes dimming and fading. Harsh blue eyes showing him the truth behind a facade he'd fallen for. Memories of a dark, _dark_ time when he'd questioned the point behind the prophecy that had driven him so far from home.

"There used to be," he answered slowly. "They aren't around anymore. It's not important, and it's not something I dwell on." _Lies._

"I am sorry. Did they die in the valley?" Amory's voice was soft, gentle, _concerned_.

 _Why do you care? You are my leader, I get that we have to talk but we don't have to talk this much. I don't ask you about your life._ "No. They did not. They never saw the valley. Their home was outside the mountains." He didn't bother telling Amory that she wasn't dead, or that there had been two cats special to him that he'd lost.

"I see. Perhaps you'll find someone else among your Clan mates. Oh, by the way, I want you to take a patrol down into the valley tomorrow. We need prey. Do you remember what I said when we spoke about this last time?" He switched from casual friend to calm, collected leader in heartbeats.

"Don't go too far, only stay there for as long we need to collect enough prey, if we see or hear any sign of the Elementals we leave immediately," Eaglestrike answered. "I remember. Have you picked the cats going with me?"

"I have. They will meet you out here at dawn tomorrow. Good luck, you'll probably need it," Amory purred smoothly. He got up, eyes set on where Marah was sticking her head out of the willow leaves.

"Wait, I have a question," Eaglestrike called.

The tom glanced at him over his shoulder, "what?"

"How do find the energy to keep going? To keep pushing us all forward?"

"Victory is life. Defeat is death. Remember that, Eaglestrike. It will serve you well."

He found himself thinking of Apollo. It's something he tried not to do during the day, a waste of time saved only for the quiet of night. Thinking about her wouldn't bring herb back. But once he's started he cannot stop. He wondered where she was. Had she gone back to the Clans that had treated her so badly, the siren call of a home too strong to ignore? Was she so busy exploring the world that she hardly thought of him? Had she found someone else that made her feel safe? Was she still in the city? Was she still an assassin? Did killing still seem satisfying to her?

Eaglestrike groaned and shifted to his paws. That was why he tried not to think about her. The tide of questions was never ending. He buried the bones Willowclaw had left behind. Clearly he hadn't meant much to her if she'd been able to just leave him without saying a word. He had fallen far too fast and far too much. Now he was paying for it.

As he was making his way slowly to the willow leaves set on asking one of the Nobles who was on guard that night he noticed a flicker of movement out of the corner of his eye. Glancing that way all he saw was the basin wall, gray and cracked. He flicked his ears back, suddenly feeling like he was being watched. It was a sickly feeling, an anxiousness that crawled its way up his back. There weren't that many cats still out in the basin and the ones that were weren't paying him any attention at all. He always got like this, the unshakeable fear settling deep in his gut, latching onto him. There would be no sleeping tonight, not while his brain was stuck on Apollo and the rest of him concerned for the following day.

Casting the flicker of movement aside as a trick of the light he heaved a heavy sigh, dragging himself over to the edge of the basin. His burns still hurt. His body still ached. His mind still struggled. Everything was being placed on his shoulders. Amory expected him to act like a senior warrior, to throw in his opinion amongst the others and fight for it. He wasn't a senior warrior, not by a long shot. Sunrise was his first apprentice. He was young by Clan standards, too young to be the one deciding whether the Clans should stay or go.

Then there was Sunrise. The Clans knew of her power now, some of it any way. He would never forget the cold look in her eyes as she forced those shadows down Earth's throat. Something had fallen over her. She'd become someone else. That _scared_ him. Like that, eyes cold, mouth twisted into a snarl, she looked like Crimson. Shadow and blood. Dark things. _Bad_ things. Sunrise could control them both. He groaned and tilted his head back to observe the cool stars.

 _Is this what you had in mind? Did you know Sunrise would have these abilities? Did you know the Elementals haunted the valley? Did you know Amory had the Clans under his paw?_

StarClan's task for them was becoming harder and harder with each passing day. Taking the six Clans and making four would take more than just honeyed words. It would take a war to bring the valley back under their control. It would take a fight to wrestle control out from under Amory. _But the Clans are doing fine with Amory. They are surviving. Does he need to be overthrown? We've had a higher power guiding us ever since the Dark Forest won the war. Are we even capable of living without one?_

"Four Clans," he murmured. "Only four. The Clans don't believe in StarClan anymore. How are we supposed to convince them to become four when they don't even believe in you?"

"Bend them to your will. _Make_ them become four." It was breathed almost silently into his ear, air stirring the fur there. He smothered the growl and glanced at her out of the corner of his eye.

"This has nothing to do with you, Crimson." She appeared to him most nights when he was alone and so very deep in thought; a hallucinated of course, something his stress drowned mind produced. It hadn't surprised him. She was the reason he was so caught up in all these problems. She was the reason he was a Chosen.

She shrugged lazy shoulders, red eyes catching the last few rays of the dying sun. "Clearly it does or I wouldn't be here. Isn't there someone else you'd much rather dream up other than me? Perhaps a certain assassin...?" Even as a hallucination she had her sharp wit and even sharper smile.

"Oh trust me I do so wish it was her instead of you, but for some reason you're the one that keeps appearing. Feel free to leave at any time." He knew his voice dripped sarcasm, he could hear it himself, but it was the only way he had come to deal with her presence. _Do the others ever get visits from her?_

"They don't," Crimson paused in her grooming. "Weren't you discussing with yourself the issue of turning six to four? Don't stop because of me. Please, do continue. I might even lend a helping paw," she wiggled a forepaw, "if you ask nicely."

"Were you always this kit-like?" he sneered.

She snorted. "You're the one imagining me this way. I have nothing to do with it. If you want me prancing amongst the dead licking blood from my muzzle then imagine me so. Maybe we can revisit that battlefield outside the city."

"I'd rather not," Eaglestrike muttered. "The issue with the Clans is an issue with no resolution; they aren't going to want to become four. It's as simple as that."

"Can't you just ask StarClan to come down here and show themselves? The Clans will believe it if they see it. Plus, Rainpatch will get a reunion with his little family." Her grin was savage. "Wouldn't that just be wonderful to see? I might even shed a tear."

He actually hadn't thought of that. If they showed themselves to the Clans it would make everything so much easier. StarClan could prove that he – as well as Icepetal and Willowclaw – had actually killed Crimson; something no one actually believed still, and they could deliver their message of six Clans becoming four to everyone.

"That's brilliant. Why didn't I think of that before?" he groaned.

"Well you are thinking it. You're just thinking it through me," Crimson said. "If that makes sense. Say, Eaglestrike?"

He raised a brow dubiously. "What?"

"If all Clan cats go to StarClan when they die, where do the Tribe cats go?"

"Their own afterlife? Willowclaw told me that Blute was still performing a ritual on the deceased to send them safely on their way to the afterlife so that must mean they have one. But they don't share ours. They are separate," Eaglestrike scrunched up his face as he spoke, vaguely remembering the conversation he'd had with Willowclaw about it.

Crimson's expression was blank. "So do the city cats have their own afterlife too?"

"I don't know, maybe. The dead have to go somewhere," he answered. "Why?"

There was a dark glint in her eyes that made her look exactly like the old Crimson. "Where did I go then?"

* * *

 **an: it's always healthy to hallucinate the cat that tried to kill you**


	19. Chapter Nineteen: Reunite

**Chapter Nineteen: Reunite**

The wall shot up without her even thinking about it; impossibly black, swirling like smoke, completely impenetrable. She heard them thud into it with surprised yelps. Imagining the wall growing fangs she listened as their confused mutters turned into howling screams. It all happened in a heartbeat. This power was different to the blood. It came as easily as breathing, was so simple she felt like she could do anything with it. The shadows obeyed her every word and thought without question.

A fox appeared before her, ginger pelt stained with blood, muzzle pulled back into a sick grin that crinkled the corners of its eyes. Without slowing she tossed a handful of shadows its way, demanding they slice through it. Its spray of blood hung in the air between them, and at her command it turned on its host, wrapping thick and wet around its neck. She didn't stop to hear the crack nor she did she pause to watch it crumple to the ground. Her shadow friend had set a goal and she was going to reach it.

She barely had the time to react to the rocks that were flung her way. A hastily thrown up wall didn't even stop them, just absorbed them. At the same time sharp claws swiped across the backs of her hind legs and she tripped, rolling head over heels before coming to a rest in an awkward pile of tangled limbs. _Graceful_ , she huffed out a quiet laugh. Her huff turned into a surprised squawk when those same paws thudded heavily against the ground beside her head, nasty claws perched frighteningly close to her eyes.

Practice had shown her that blood was more stubborn towards her. It refused to bend to her will, blatantly denying even the simplest wish. With a mind of its own it often wriggled out from under her commands leaving her in an awful predicament with only her own fighting instincts to rely on. Sometimes it would obey and then slither away at the last moment. Or it would simply ignore her. The energy it took to bend it to her will was surprising, but she was getting stronger. It was becoming easier; less of a strain, and it was all thanks to her dark friend.

"What are you grinning about?" the apparition hissed, pale eyes shining in the gloom.

"It's a secret."

She could feel it now, the raw power igniting the blood in her own veins. This time there would be no struggling against her command. This time it would work. Their teeth nipped at the side of her neck just as she laid her eyes on the pulsing vein working in their throat. It started as a small droplet splashing onto her muzzle. The skin flexed, and the vein exploded, showering her in warm red.

There was no waiting for the apparition to stop coughing. She was up and running within a heartbeat. The goal was in sight, just beyond the foggy trees. Finally she'd be able to beat a challenge her dark friend had set. Victory was going to feel so good. Beneath her paws the ground rumbled, and before her very eyes Earth appeared, though his form flickered and wavered because nothing in this dream world was actually real. The pain, however, was. She came to an abrupt stop a few hare-leaps in front of him, watching him warily.

She'd almost killed him back in the basin. Looking into his eyes she had seen them begin to dim, lose their spark. Until a searing pain had exploded. Until piercing eyes had looked down at her with so much _hatred_ , so much _disgust._ She never wanted to be looked at that way again, nor did she want to be called a Shadowstalker. The name had slipped between Ice's lips like a curse. What did it even mean? What was a Shadowstalker? Was she supposed to be one?

A tree root wrapped around her paw and she yelped, scrambling backwards only to trip and land on her haunches. The root yanked forwards roughly and she pitched forwards onto her face. She let out a muffled growl, peeking up at Earth with narrowed eyes. Her shadows swarmed the tree root, shattering it into tiny pieces. This time she'd get him for sure. He'd nearly killed Tornheart. Ice had nearly killed Willowclaw. They could not be allowed to live. Not if they were going to endanger the lives of her family.

He hadn't moved. The ground around him had. It dropped away, disappearing into eventual nothing, grand fissures with no bottom. They were gaping holes and they were spreading so very fast. Frantic, she looked around; searching for something she could use to get away from the spreading fissures. There was nothing. The forest had vanished. All that was left was short grass sprawling for as far her eyes could see.

A very sickening feeling spread through her, and then an idea came to mind. Summoning all the energy she could find she threw it into one thought: _become the ground._ Just as the real ground vanished her shadows too its place. The grin she tossed Earth was smug. He merely smiled back and nodded to something behind her. Fire streaked overhead, hungry and hot, licking past her fur and scorching her skin. She howled, her concentration wavered, her shadows vanished.

She fell.

And landed a few heartbeats later in a pile of leaves.

Sputtering she rolled free from the pile spitting bits of leaf from her mouth. The skin on her back felt a little sore. A bruise was blossoming on her side. She groaned and flopped into the soft grass quite pleased with the idea of just having a nap.

"Yet again it is proven that you have a one-track mind. How many times have we run the same drill? How many times have you _failed_ the same drill? I can't help you if you don't learn, Sunrise!" Her dark friend appeared before her, orange eyes narrowed angrily.

"I _am_ trying! It's just hard to keep track of everything at once. I have to be thinking about the world around me, the shadows, the blood, the normal cats, the Elementals. All at once! It's too much. I can't do it," Sunrise whined. "It uses up too much energy, and then I can't use the shadows or the blood."

It rubbed at its head with a wavering paw. "We've been over this already. The more you run these drills the easier it will become. You've got to be able to concentrate on everything at once, Sunrise, or you're going to die. Those Elementals aren't going to attack you one at a time. When they come to kill you they're going to use everything they have all at once. Are you ready for that?"

"Of course I'm not," she sneered. "They're stupidly strong and stupidly old; they've had _so long_ to learn their powers. How am I supposed to become stronger than them? I'll need moons and moons and moons of practice. I just need to get stronger, okay? If I get stronger I'll be able to throw more into my powers and use them to their fullest advantage."

"Sunrise," its voice was soft; "you don't have time. They are here _now_. They want to kill you _now._ I don't want them to do that. Your family doesn't want them to do that, but they aren't going to be able to stop them. _You_ are the only one that can stop them."

Sighing, Sunrise rolled onto her side peering up at her dark friend. "It's really heavy, this burden. Saving everyone, saving the valley, saving the Clans future, it's a little much for an apprentice, don't you think?"

"We don't pick our destinies. They pick us. Yours is just a little bigger and a little greater than everyone else's."

"The destinies Willowclaw, Icepetal, and Eaglestrike have are big too. Do you think they're bigger than mine? I mean, they were chosen to save the world. That's a pretty big thing," Sunrise mumbled.

It shrugged. "Maybe they all have something left they are expected to do for the world or maybe their great destiny is over. I think it is quite fitting that you ended up with them: three powerful warriors cultivating the life of a little kit that holds the future of the Clans in her paws. Raised by anyone else and the Clans might have fallen."

"So? They were bound to find me in the mountain. Is it a big deal?"

"No, it's just interesting." Its tone turned sympathetic when Sunrise opened her mouth in a large yawn, blinking her eyes sleepily. "Tired?"

"Mm. I didn't think you could get tired in a dream," she laughed.

It lay down beside her, a steady purr thrumming in their throat. "Usually you don't, but you've been working so hard. I'm very proud."

"I'll get as strong as I can before they come again, I promise. They won't be able to run away next time," Sunrise murmured sleepily. "I'll keep everyone safe."

"I know you will. You're already much stronger than you think. Go on, go back to your family; they are missing you very much."

Waking up in the living world was a stranger feeling this time round. Her bones did not ache, her muscles did not complain at their overuse. The wounds she'd sustained no longer existed: there's no ragged gash on her chest, no angry burn mark on her neck. Her eyelids fluttered open, blurred vision slowly clearing up. She was greeted by a curled up Icepetal, her tail flicked across her nose and eyes narrowed in thought. Her expression was worried. Flicking her gaze over towards where the sunlight streams into Marah's den Sunrise found Willowclaw watching Icepetal. He looked tired, and sad.

"Hello," Sunrise said quietly.

Icepetal jerked her head up and over, a relieved smile spreading. "You're awake! Oh thank goodness you had us all so worried," she purred, reaching over to nuzzle her. "Don't do that again. Ever. Got it?"

"Yes, Icepetal," Sunrise smothered her laugh. She glanced up at Willowclaw with a tentative smiled, "do you have something to say too?"

"Are you okay?" he asked looking far too concerned.

She nodded, "I'm fine. I just pushed myself too hard, it won't happen again. I promise."

Willowclaw relaxed, moving away from the den mouth to crouch down beside Icepetal, cuffing Sunrise softly over the head. "You can't do things like this. It scares us. We don't ever want to see you get hurt like that."

"I'm going to get hurt, you know that right? Being a warrior means doing everything for my Clan, and I _want_ to do everything. Okay?" Sunrise reminded them.

Icepetal smiled softly. "Okay, Sunrise. Just try to at least keep your injuries to a minimum until you actually become a warrior."

"Which shouldn't be for quite some time," Willowclaw poked Icepetal in the side. "Apprentices don't become warriors in a moon."

"I know, I know," Sunrise rolled her eyes. "Have you two finally stopped ignoring each other? Are you going to start talking to each other again?"

Icepetal hesitated, and then stuck her head under Willowclaw's chin with a quiet purr. "We've stopped ignoring each other. I'm sorry if it worried you too much."

"Not really. I figured you'd both get over whatever it was eventually," she shrugged.

"Still, we probably shouldn't have let it go one for so long," Willowclaw said sheepishly. "It was a little kit-like."

"Well you can't act like a smart warrior _all_ the time," Sunrise giggled.

Icepetal snorted. "He doesn't act like a smart warrior half the time anyway."

"Okay that was just unnecessary. I've had my smart moments," he pouted.

"Like that time you thought sticking your nose in an ants nest would be funny?" Icepetal purred, "Rainpatch sure thought it was funny."

His pout deepened. "What did I do to deserve this?"

Icepetal head butted him in the shoulder. "You joined this weird family."

"Ah, now that I had absolutely no control over. Great destiny and all," Willowclaw retorted.

"Where's Eaglestrike?" Sunrise piped up, beaming at the bickering warriors. It was nice to see them getting along again.

"Amory's sent him on a patrol down into the valley; they're looking for more prey to bring back with them. He's probably just about to leave," he replied.

"I want to go see him, move out of the way!"

Eaglestrike tore his attention away from his patrol long enough to see Sunrise spill out of the willow leaves; a bright smile aimed his way. He sighed in relief. While he hadn't doubted that she would wake up it had still been hard looking at her in that nest, so small and fragile, knowing that he couldn't do anything for her. He waved his tail at her before his attention was called back to his patrol. Aspenthorn was looking at him pointedly, a question hanging in the air between them that Eaglestrike had not heard. Going off the exasperated look Owlshadow was giving the SnowClan warrior he assumed it had been a stupid question.

"I said," Aspenthorn growled, "how much prey are we expected to gather?"

"As much as we can find and carry. I told you that just before," Fadedtail spat. The pale she-cat had only been a kit when Eaglestrike had left the valley. Now she was a warrior, blue eyes sharp with intelligence. They looked a little like Apollo's though they lacked the mischievous spark. At least Fadedtail treated him like any other warrior.

"Yes well you aren't the one leading this patrol," he curled his lip at her.

Eaglestrike huffed a quiet sigh. Why Amory had decided to put Aspenthorn on the patrol he would never know. The rude tom didn't seem to get on well with anyone. "Enough arguing," he demanded, "if we're going to go down into the valley and _not_ die we need to work together. Got it? I'd rather not carry back your bodies."

"We aren't going to die," Whitestream smirked. "We're going to show those Elementals that we _can_ survive up here even in leaf bare."

Smokefoot finally moved his gaze from his own paws, looking at Whitestream with an almost bored expression. "If they catch us down there we _are_ going to die."

"Not if we run really fast," Crackingice joked.

Including himself his patrol had six members from each Clan save for RogueClan. There weren't enough warriors left in that Clan for Amory to feel safe about sending any down into the valley on a mission that might end badly. He was pleased with the chosen patrol. They all seemed like capable warriors, even Aspenthorn. He hoped their instincts wouldn't abandon them should they run into the Elementals.

"Alright, let's go."

It wasn't a particularly warm day. The sun was well above the horizon but its strength had waned over the course of the past month. Not in a worrying way, and certainly nothing like what Crimson had forced, but in a natural way. There was to be no ignoring leaf bare anymore, it was lurking just round the corner. Already a few frail trees had died the chill higher up in the mountains so much sharper. Leaves that had fallen in leaf fall skittered helplessly along the ground, dead and brown. Eaglestrike wasn't looking forward to the snow that was bound to come. It would make life in the mountains harder, and more dangerous. Steep paths and sheer edges would become slick with ice. An unsuspecting warrior, or apprentice, could very easily slip right off.

He had learned the confusing pathways that spanned the Clans mountain territory and could manoeuvre through them with ease. Amory had shown him where each path came out, grand forests scaling steep inclines, a river that dropped into a roaring waterfall, a dark cavern inhabited by a colony of bats, and a way out of the mountains down into the grasslands Amory had come from. The leader didn't often talk of his past, and when he did what he spoke about was useless information: memories of meeting his Nobles, times he fought off wild dogs and foxes. Never anything about his birthplace or his family. Eaglestrike was more than intrigued.

They passed the debris that had once shielded the pathway into the mountains. It had been blown to one side when the Elementals had breached it. There was no point trying to put it back in place, any barriers were useless now. They were sitting ducks. Even with Tornheart and Sunrise the Elementals were old, powerful, and _smart_. Their powers had had seasons upon seasons to fester and grow.

Sunrise was only a kit. Tornheart wasn't much older than a senior warrior.

One had already suffered the burden of saving the world on their shoulders. The other could not even understand the struggle her powers had now brought her.

"Where should we head?" Fadedtail asked quietly.

They stood silently in RisingClan's territory, among the forest of ice pinnacles. Pale grass was beginning to grow back in small clumps spread out over the rough dirt. "Not here. Everything's dead here. RogueClan, maybe CedarClan. I never got round to seeing CedarClan's territory so I'm not sure how damaged it is."

Smokefoot scratched absently at his ear. "Last time I saw it there was a lot of ice, a lot of fallen trees, quite a bit of burned forest, and no camp. Might be a little better now. Want to go look? We have as much time as we want."

"I really would rather be out of here by nightfall," Aspenthorn muttered.

"Our comfort comes second to the Clans' hunger. If we need to stay down here we'll stay down here, but that is only as a last resort. Hopefully they're still recovering from their attack," Eaglestrike responded. To Smokefoot he said, "Lead the way."

Heading to CedarClan's territory turned out to be a brilliant idea. It had survived the worst of the Elemental's fury, forest still moving with a little bit of life. Whitestream had mentioned travelling over into WaveClan's territory but Eaglestrike still had fond memories of his first run in with the four enemies. It looked a little worse for wear since he'd last seen it, grassy hills turned into piles of fresh dirt, and scorch marks blackening the green. A sniff of the air brought no scent of prey. Eaglestrike refused her pleas to go into her home. It was just too dangerous.

They strayed cautiously into SnowClan's territory and his heart hurt for Icepetal. Nothing looked the same anymore.

It was discovered, rather quickly, that there was prey around; they were just hiding very, _very_ well. Smokefoot was the first to make a kill, quick movements giving him the jump on a thin squirrel. He brought it down with a sharp smack to the back of the neck before it could disappear into the leaves. His expression might have been tired but his eyes sung of his delight at finally catching something in the supposedly 'dead' valley. Aspenthorn followed shortly after snapping his jaws shut around a finch. The bragging that followed earned him a thump from Crackingice. Whitestream chased down a rabbit, her WaveClan heritage showing proud in her long legs and quick speed. Their rustling sent a mouse shooting straight into Crackingice's paws. She dispatched it after a fumble, mouth open around a surprised mew.

By the time sunhigh rolled around they'd caught enough prey for three cats to struggle carrying; still, more would be nice. But with heaving flanks and rumbling bellies they settled down in the shade by a creek to share the rabbit Whitestream had caught.

"I miss living down here," Fadedtail said quietly. She was laying on her back staring up into the canopy, eyes watching the pale clouds that shifted slowly across the blue.

Aspenthorn shifted his head on his paws blinking lazily. "There's no point thinking about it. We'll never come back down here."

"Why not?" Crackingice retorted. "Why can't we ever come back down here? Are we expected to just live in the mountains for the rest of our lives? Will our future generations be stuck up in those cold peaks?"

"You want to come live down here with the Elemental's? Fine. Go ahead. I, on the other paw, am going to stay with Amory where it is safe," Aspenthorn sneered.

"Is staying with Amory safe?" The words were out before Eaglestrike could stop them. He enjoyed Amory's company, the tom was interesting and he treated Eaglestrike like an equal. There was still something about the golden tom that didn't sit right.

Whitestream pricked her ears. "You don't trust him?"

"Can you blame me?" he murmured. "He seemingly appeared out of nowhere and became leader of six Clans."

"So you think we aren't safe with him?" Crackingice asked curiously.

"No, it's not that. We are safe with him and I trust him to look after us. I just want to know a little more about him, that's all. Don't you?" he said.

Fadedtail hummed in agreement, "I'll admit that I'd like to at least know how he ended up in the valley in the first place. I wonder how he came across a medicine cat too."

"These are all questions you can just _ask_ him you know?" Aspenthorn muttered.

"I have," Eaglestrike shot him a glare, "and he changed the topic. Look I don't want to argue about Amory. I think he's a great leader, and he's done a great job keeping us all safe."

"You're just unsure of his motives," Whitestream stated.

He was about to reply when a twig snapped nearby. All six warriors leapt to their paws, claws jutting into the grass, fur bristling. Eaglestrike's heart was pounding. If it was the Elemental's he doubted they'd be able to make it to safety before they were killed. _Where even is safety? It isn't the mountain path anymore. Do we have to run all the way back to the basin?_

Crackingice raised her muzzle to sniff the air. Her face scrunched up in confusion, and she whispered, "I don't recognise the scent. It's not them."

"Who is it then?" Aspenthorn hissed, "Did another warrior follow us down?"

Smokefoot rolled his eyes. "Why would they? Everyone's petrified of the valley."

"It's not another warrior, whoever it is doesn't carry a Clan scent," Crackingice pointed out.

Fadedtail grinned, "If it's not the Elemental's and if it's not a Clan cat then we have no other choice but to confront whoever it is."

"It is our duty as warriors," Whitestream agreed.

They were too late to confront the stranger. Off to their left the foliage parted and a white paw peeked out, gingerly touching the ground as if unsure as to whether it actually wanted to step there. The warriors shuffled closer together, Eaglestike at the front with a quietly snarling Aspenthorn by his side. He watched with baited breath as the paw became a foreleg and then half a cat. They swivelled black-tipped ears, head turning till their eyes came to rest on the patrol; intelligent blue eyes, deep, and sparking with mischievous. A thick scar sat proudly on their chest.

"Apollo?"

She jumped as if she'd been struck. Then she smiled. "Eaglestrike!"

"Wait. What?" Aspenthorn sputtered. He was ignored.

Eaglestrike stepped gently towards her afraid that she might spook and leave him again. "What are you doing here? _How_ did you get here?"

"I was looking for you," Apollo answered. She covered the final few steps between them, reaching up to brush her muzzle against his, a loud purr rumbling in her throat. "Hello."

"You were looking for _me_? Why?" he mumbled as he pressed his face into her neck. He'd missed being able to do this. He'd missed her scent. He'd missed _her._

She sighed heavily. "Because I made a mistake. Running away, it was a mistake. It took me a while to realise it. Probably too long. I'm sorry."

"Why did you run?" He wanted to know. What made her leave? Why had she left him? Had he done something?

"You know what I've been through. You know what's happened to my past mates. I couldn't go through that again. When I crossed over to Crimson I thought you'd hate me. Everyone else did. Lathai's death was my last tie to the city, to that part of the world. So I ran. I didn't think about anyone else. I was only thinking of myself." Apollo looked up at him pain evident in her gaze.

"What made you come back then?" he didn't mean to sound accusing,

She looked away. "I wanted to see if you hated me for myself. I love you, Eaglestrike. But if you can't forgive me, if you still hate me, I'll leave and you'll never see me again."

The idea of her leaving again was so heartbreaking he wanted to say no straight away. But he was a Clan cat now. His Clan's safety was more important than anything. So he had to ask one final question before he could allow himself to finally have the only thing he really wanted. "Are you still an assassin?"

"Assassin!?" Aspenthorn yelped.

"Shut it, foxbreath," Fadedtail nipped his shoulder.

Apollo's grin was wide and beautiful. "No, I'm not."

So much weight left Eaglestrike's shoulders. He sighed happily. "I've forgiven you, Apollo, I could never hate you. I love you too much."

"This is touching and all," Crackingice drawled, "but would you care to introduce us to the love of your life?"

"Ah." He smiled a little shyly, "this is Apollo."

Apollo shook her head. "Not anymore. Shiverlight. My Clan name is Shiverlight."

"You're a Clan cat?" Whitestream's eyes flew wide. "How? I've never seen you before."

"There are a few more Clans than just yours. I used to be a warrior in DawningClan."

"You used to be the _leader_ of DawningClan," Eaglestrike put in proudly.

Fadedtail's gasp was mostly excited. "A leader! So your name should be Shiverstar! Oh, I like it, it's a pretty name."

"But," Apollo said, "I am no longer their leader, so just Shiverlight."

"Still pretty. Hello, Shiverlight. I'm Fadedtail."

Aspenthorn cleared his throat obnoxiously. "So I assume you expect to be welcomed into our homes warmly?"

"If you'll have me," Apollo replied smoothly.

"We do need more warriors," Whitestream reminded. "She said she used to be a leader, we could certainly do with a warrior that strong."

"I say we should let Amory decide," Aspenthorn huffed dismissively. "Let's go gather up the prey we caught and head back before we're discovered down here."

"This might sway your opinion a little," Apollo said quietly. She trotted over to the place she'd emerged from and leant down. "You can come out now. Come on. It's safe." When she stood back up there was a scuffling sound. A small head peered out, pale, reddish ears twitching uncertainly. "Alvar, come out." Three other kit followed Alvar out.

Eaglestrike had to sit down. A little she-kit stared at him with _his_ eyes. _No way._ "Are they?"

"Yours? Yes, they are," Apollo purred. "Alvar." He was smaller than the others, with pale, reddish, brown fur. Scattered across his pelt were black spots, and his paws where a pure white. He blinked dark, dark blue eyes. "Inara." The only she-kit, a near perfect copy of himself save for the white chest and underbelly; the rusty brown fur and stormy eyes were frighteningly similar. "Jay." Pure white with a tiny patch of black on his tail tip, he had the same eyes as Eaglestrike's mother: a soft amber. "Tayce." His white pelt was broken up with splashes of black and brown. He shared the same amber eyes as Jay, though they were a little lighter.

" _My kits_ ," he breathed. He had a family. He had a _family. He had a family_! Eaglestrike hoped the look he gave Apollo conveyed just how happy he was. Apollo had come back. She'd come back and she'd brought a family along with her. "Apollo...they're beautiful."

"You hear that, you lot? He thinks you're all beautiful," her tone was teasing.

Tayce stuck his tongue out. "I'm not beautiful, I'm tough."

"Of course you are," Eaglestrike laughed."

"This certainly does change things," Smokefoot interrupted. "We wouldn't leave any cat down here by themselves but we definitely wouldn't leave a queen and her kits down here."

Aspenthorn, for once, was in agreement. "You're coming back to the mountain with us, Shiverlight." Though he didn't look overly happy about it.

"Is this what you want? To come back with us?" Crackingice asked.

She smiled, "well I really _don't_ want to hang around here for much longer."

"Alright then," Fadedtail purred. "Let's go home!"

It was only on the way back, walking side by side with Apollo – Shiverlight now – listening to her talk about their kits that Eaglestrike suddenly realised just what he was bringing back to the Clans. A loner. An assassin to the Chosen, and a traitor. A stranger. He'd seen how the Clans had reacted when he'd come home, a warrior. How were they going to react to her?

Would Amory let them stay?

* * *

 _an: this chapter is dedicated to swyfte._


	20. Chapter Twenty: Chill

**Chapter Twenty: Chill**

"I sent you down into the valley to fetch prey and you've come back with a queen and her kits. You can't blame me for being _more_ than a little confused. Might I ask why there is a loner standing in the middle of my camp?" Amory's voice was calm but his ears were pinned flat against his skull; Eaglestrike knew that meant he was angry.

"We couldn't leave kits down in the valley, Amory. It's not safe for them down there, and the Code states that we protect kits," Whitestream replied. "It's not safe for anyone down there, besides we need more capable cats. Shiverlight is a Clan cat. She knows how to fight, how to hunt. We need her."

Amory curled his lip. "I will be the one to decide whether we need her or not. If I recall correctly, Whitestream, you were not the one leading the patrol. So, Eaglestrike, would you like to tell me why you brought a supposed Clan cat back with you?"

He could see Sunrise out of the corner of his eye, sitting in between Willowclaw and Icepetal, looking profoundly confused by this strange she-cat standing particularly close to him. The kits only increased her confusion. She had never had the chance to meet Apollo. He flicked his eyes up to meet Icepetal's. She was too busy staring at the kits.

"She is a Clan cat," Eaglestrike said. "She was the leader of DawningClan. What Whitestream says is correct, we _need_ more warriors. Prey is going to run very thin here during leaf bare and if we have to go down into the valley to find prey we are going to need warriors. You've seen how much prey we brought back. Whilst a few of the territories aren't capable of sustaining life two or three are. We didn't run into the Elementals either."

"I've never heard of DawningClan before," Amory murmured.

Shiverlight shrugged. "It's a long way from here."

"My warriors speak the truth; we are in need of more warriors. A leader as well."

"You aren't seriously thinking about letting her stay!?" Aspenthorn shouted. "She could be an enemy!"

"Did I try to eat you on the way here?" Shiverlight asked sweetly. Aspenthorn shook his head. "Then I'm not a threat. Honestly, why would I want to hurt any of you? Doing that would endanger the life of my kits and I am not that stupid. If you need more warriors I am more than willing to do my part."

"If you don't mind me asking, who is their father?" Amory interrupted.

Shiverlight's grin was a little smug. "Eaglestrike. So they are full-blooded Clan cats. I would like them to grow up alongside their father, but if you don't want me here I will leave."

"You had kits with a she-cat outside of the Clans?" Wrenfeather sneered, "Lovely to see how loyal you are to your Clan."

"Are you really complaining about Clan kits? You want more warriors? Here they are. You want more cats? Here they are. There are not many of us left anymore, Wrenfeather. We can't be picky about where our warriors come from anymore," Eaglestrike spat back. "Does anyone else have an issue with where these kits came from?"

"Well," Crowstrike said, "they _are_ Clan cats."

Amory nodded to Willowclaw. "You travelled with Shiverlight I assume. Do you trust her?"

"I was the first one to meet her," Willowclaw laughed, "and she made quite an impression. She saved all of our lives, and dropped a tree on Rainpatch. If she hadn't of been in the forest that day I doubt we'd have ever made it home."

Heathersky let a startled mew slip free. "You dropped a tree? On Rainpatch?"

"Yes," Shiverlight had the sense to look a little sheepish. "He just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. He made a rather dashing damsel in distress, though."

"Said Kateria had lovely fur right before the tree crashed down onto them," Willowclaw laughed. "You can trust Shiverlight. She's done a lot to help us when she didn't have to."

"Shiverlight, and her kits, can stay _provided_ that she vows she will not leave when things get tough. We cannot afford to lose any warriors," Amory growled.

With a roll of her eyes Shiverlight stepped within whiskers of Amory. "You seem to have a rather large flair for the dramatics," she purred, eyes narrowing. "I _vow_ that I will not abandon these Clans when things get tough, and you'll find that I do not break my vows very easily." Her gaze slid to Icepetal, "even if it means hurting those I care about."

Amory snorted but the nod he gave was satisfied. "Now, onto another issue. The Elementals broke into the basin, we are all aware of that. I am also aware of how much the senior warriors want to abandon the mountains. I don't think it's fair to just let them decide your fate. So, tell me, do you want to run from yet another home? Do you want to concede defeat to those monsters once again?" He shot a confident glance at Eaglestrike. It was like he had rehearsed his speech word for word. "Are you willing to just let them take _everything_ from you?"

"There's really nothing we can do if they decide to run us out again," Frostedgrass grouched.

"He's right," Hawkflight said, "we can't beat them."

"Unless you want us to just lay down our lives for a bit of mountain?" Sparrowflight frowned.

"We aren't so helpless anymore." Amory's voice softened into a thick purr that rumbled at the back of his throat. "You all saw what Tornheart did that night. She healed the wounded, brought as many of the dying back from the brink as she could, _and_ nearly killed one of the Elemental. Of course I can't forget that fact that it was our dear Sunrise that sent them fleeing with their tails between their legs. We aren't helpless. We have weapons."

Shiverlight's laugh was bitter. "You want to entrust the lives of every cat here to a kit, and a beaten up ex-warrior?"

"Shiverlight!" Eaglestrike hissed.

"No," she retorted, "I am a part of this now. This is just as much my business as it is yours and I would very much like to know that my kits are going to be safe here." Raising her head she stared Amory down. "I have no idea who these Elementals are but if they're the reason you're all stuck up here rather down in the valley then I would much rather not meet them. But a _kit?_ She's so young. How can she protect any of us?"

Amory's mouth twitched into a frown. "Would you care to demonstrate, Sunrise?"

"Huh? Um, I'm not really sure if I can. It's not something I can really control and it is still daylight," Sunrise said hurriedly. At the other's quizzical looks she hurriedly added, "It's easier to do at night when everything is dark."

"Is that so? What if we don't have time to wait until nightfall?" Amory prowled towards her, head lowered, eyes dark. "What if the Elementals break in right now? What if they try to finish what they started? Are you just going to cower under the willow leaves until they find you and put you out of their misery?"

Eaglestrike knew he should stop Amory. What he was doing was wrong, but what he was saying was... _right_. So he stayed where he was, all too aware of the cold look Icepetal sent him.

"Don't you remember how Ice's claws felt ripping across your face?" Willowclaw was openly hissing at Amory now, hackles bristling. "Can't you remember the screams of your Clan mates? The howls of the dying? Tell me, Sunrise. Don't you want to protect your family? Or are you willing to watch them die too?"

An inky wall shot up between Amory and Sunrise, halting the golden tom in his advances, snarling at him with mouths of shadow. Behind it Sunrise stood firm a tiny growl threading from her open mouth. Around them the Clanners stared with wide eyes and dropped jaws, some shifting away from the darkness.

"I will do _anything_ to protect my family," Sunrise snapped and dropped the wall. It vanished as if it had never been there. "But don't treat me like I know everything about this power. I know about as much as you do: nothing."

Amory didn't even try to hide his pleased grin. He turned back to purr at Shiverlight, "are you satisfied now? Or would you like a demonstration of Tornheart's power too?"

"She's already seen what I can do," Tornheart called from just behind the willow leaves where she was still tending to the wounded.

"I'm satisfied," Shiverlight heaved a sigh but met Amory's grin with a wider one of her own. "I just don't think a kit needs the burden of all these lives on her shoulders. But that's not up to me. Can someone direct me to the nursery? My kits are tired."

"I'll take her," Eaglestrike offered quickly. He didn't like the way Icepetal was staring at him, blue eyes particularly icy.

Amory flicked his tail. "Fine, but I want to talk to you and your patrol later. Thank you for going down there. You did well."

The meeting dissolved, and the Clanners returned to what they had been doing. His patrol carted their prey over to the dismal pile, laughing and talking quietly. Willowclaw tucked Sunrise against his chest, grimacing at whatever Icepetal was muttering in his ear. A few of the apprentices fell back into their play fight, while two disappeared into the mountains with their mentors.

"So you want to tell me about these Elementals or am I going to have to find out about them myself?" Shiverlight nudged his side. "They seem to have you all very worried."

Eaglestrike shrugged. "They're immortal and have powers that rival Tornheart's for strength; four of them, and they can each control an element. I've never met anyone like them. Not even Crimson was as bad. All they do is kill and kill."

"That kit, Sunrise, she's Crimson's daughter isn't she?"

"What gave it away?" he murmured, casting his eyes back to his apprentice. She was staring up at the clear sky, ears flicked back as Icepetal and Willowclaw argued.

She huffed a quiet laugh. "Maybe the eyes?"

"I've missed you," he sighed.

"Yeah?" Shiverlight's smile was soft. "I've missed you too."

"Come on; let's get you settled into the nursery."

"Are we staying here now?" Tayce asked quietly, brushing up against Shiverlight's legs.

"We sure are," she replied with a purr. "This is our home now."

Inara blinked stormy eyes. "We aren't going to leave again, are we?"

"No, Inara, we're here for good. Your father is going to take good care of us and you're all going to grow up to be strong warriors. Does that sound okay?"

"What's a warrior?" Alvar scrunched up his nose.

"How about I tell you all when we get inside?" Eaglestrike offered.

Icepetal watched them go with a slight scowl twisting her muzzle. Her last meeting with Apollo – Shiverlight now it seemed – had been less than pleasant; covered in blood, sides heaving, the assassin had been abandoning them without even a word of farewell to a clearly infatuated Eaglestrike. An assassin tasked with killing them. With Crimson dead that task was null and void, though the thought did not ease the odd feeling in her gut. She didn't hate Shiverlight, in fact the two had become almost friends, but her display in the city made it clear that she did not care for loyalty.

"I'm telling you we can trust her," Willowclaw muttered. "She has kits, Icepetal. I don't think she's going to do anything that will put them in danger."

"She was working for Crimson! Are you really okay with having an assassin sleeping next to you?" Icepetal hissed back.

Willowclaw narrowed his eyes. "If Eaglestrike trusts her than so do I. He wouldn't have brought her back if he thought she posed a threat. Is there anything else you want to argue about before I leave?"

"Now that you mention it," she purred. "Amory."

"Again? Really, Icepetal? You've got to let this unnecessary hatred go. Amory has been nothing but a good leader since we arrived. Okay? Move on," he snapped.

Icepetal pinned back her ears. _Everyone_ was so certain Amory was some miracle sent to save them all. _Everyone_ followed him like a lost kit. It was driving her crazy. Did no one want to find out why a _stranger_ had decided to save a group of wounded, scared warriors? She lashed her tail. If no one else wanted to understand him then she would. She alone would discover everything about Amory. Then the Clans would see he was bad for them.

"It is not unnecessary," she hissed. "Didn't you see what he just did to Sunrise? He forced her into using her powers. Don't you understand how dangerous that is?"

"Hey! I can control it enough to not kill everyone when I use it," Sunrise piped up, nose wrinkled and brow furrowed.

"You aren't a master of your own power like Tornheart is. If you get even a little over emotional who knows what could happen. Besides the things he was saying to you were horrible. No leader should behave like that," Icepetal growled. She was watching Amory out of the corner of her eye, watching as he spoke Heathersky. Her most basic instincts were telling her not to trust him, _screaming_ at her to not trust him.

Willowclaw let loose an irritated sigh. "Let's go practice your hunting, Sunrise."

"But I wanted to meet Eaglestrike's mate, and his kits," she pouted. "He never told me about Shiverlight. None of you ever told me about her."

He shrugged, "you can meet them later. Come on."

"I wasn't done talking to you," Icepetal muttered quietly.

"Yeah, well, I'm done hearing you complain," Willowclaw said as he padded away.

She stared after them with a frown. "Fine," she murmured, "I'll go talk to someone that actually cares."

The Clans' only elder rarely left the comfort an above ground root had given her. In a secluded spot far behind the willow leaves she had found shade, silence, and relative peace. She'd seen many seasons pass; the birth of a Clan, and the destruction of all. There had been arguments when they had first come up to the mountains that an elder should continue to protect their Clan. She had made sure that argument remained nothing more than an argument. Her days were dull now. Few spoke to her. Even her own daughters stayed away. Busy, they said, always busy.

Risingwhisper was half the cat she used to be. Her pretty brown pelt no longer held its healthy shine, the white patches streaked with gray. Dark amber eyes didn't spark with intelligence anymore. Now they were just dull. RisingClan's first and last healer, forgotten. It used to anger her but now she can't be bothered to care anymore.

"Are you sleeping?" Icepetal called out keeping her pawsteps light as she made her way over to the arching root.

"If I was I'm sure your squawking voice would have woken me up. What do you want this time?" Risingwhisper retorted. She greeted Icepetal with a scowl when she appeared from around the root. "Not that I don't enjoy your sporadic visits."

Icepetal snorted. "Sporadic? I was here yesterday."

"Forgive me. Old age you know?" the elder's tone was heavy with sarcasm. "I see you didn't bring me anything to eat. That's a little rude don't you think."

"Like you need more to eat," Icepetal sneered. She lay down in front of Risingwhisper forepaws tucked under her belly. "Singingriver visited?"

Risingwhisper's laugh was more like a rough wheeze. "That kit of mine doesn't have time to do much else other than pine after Amory. Surely you've noticed the way she stares at him? Like he personally strung each star in the sky? Ridiculous. Such a young warrior shouldn't be thinking of mates." Her tone dropped a little, grew a tad sad. "She could be leading patrols down into that valley for food. She could be making a name for herself. The only name she's made is 'the idiot that nearly drove her Clan to extinction'. But no, instead she's filling her mind with trivial things such as mates and kits."

"You had kits too, remember?" Icepetal said gently.

"And I've already lost two of them. Why did Shatteredlight leave me, Icepetal? How come she didn't say goodbye when she left? We needed her strong guidance then. We still need it now. Singingriver and Dawningsun are too young to be leaders." Her expression was anguished.

"I never asked her why she left but she was a commander in the city, Risingwhisper. She was leading another group of cats to greatness."

Risingwhisper ignored her. "You'll make sure my stupid daughters don't ruin my Clan too much, won't you? They don't seem to listen to me anymore."

"If you want me to, though I doubt they'll listen to me," she purred. "They're just as stubborn as you."

"Oh no, that stubbornness is nothing to do with me. That's their father's fault," Risingwhisper laughed. "Stop entertaining my nonsense, Icepetal, I know you didn't come here to reminisce with me. What do you want to know this time?"

"You're too perceptive for your own good."

"Perceptive? Every time you've visited me you've wanted to know something else about what happened when you were gone," she pointed out.

Icepetal huffed. "Fine. Are there any medicine cats left?"

"Assuming I'm still alive when whatever you're planning starts there's three. Redflower's fully trained and Minnowstripe was almost fully trained when her mentor died," Risingwhisper replied. "I hope I'm still alive. Whatever you're planning is bound to be more fun than just sitting around."

Her grin was sly. "Plan? What plan? I'm not planning anything at all, Risingwhisper."

"Don't treat me like some silly apprentice, warrior. I've been alive enough moons to know a lie when I see one," the elder snapped back.

"Wouldn't you much rather live out the rest of the days in the territory you were born in?" Icepetal murmured eyes on her paws. "The territory you fought for? You created a Clan down in the valley, a home, a place for generations to survive in. Now it sits empty. The scent marks on the border have faded. Your camp no longer smells of your Clan. It's like nothing ever existed down there. In moons a stranger could wander into your home and find no trace of the grand history that played out there. I don't want that. Do you?"

When she glanced up Risingwhisper was looking at her thoughtfully. "I wonder what would have become of you if you'd ended up in my Clan. So you want to defy Amory and bring the Clans back to their home? It's an enormous task. Still I get the feeling you're going to throw everything you have into it. If it works and you somehow manage to convince Amory to let the Clans back down into the valley I will follow you. But it's a dangerous path you've begun treading."

"Why do the Clans need Amory's permission? He isn't their master," Icepetal growled.

"Amory is not Clanborn. He has not been raised like we have. The kind of leader he is differs from the kind of leaders we are used to."

"What do you _mean_?"

"If Amory discovers what you are doing before you can convince the Clans to revolt with you, he will kill you," Risingwhisper said. "He has three rules, Icepetal. Follow the Code, do not ask questions, and respect him as your one true leader. Break them and there is no going back."

Icepetal laughed. "I'll just have to do it by following those three rules."

"Good luck. I don't envy you. Just...Icepetal, promise me one thing?"

"What?" she said as she stood up.

"Promise me you won't push those that care about away," Risingwhisper murmured.

Icepetal hesitated. "I won't."

"Then I expect I'll be seeing you again shortly. Bring some prey next time!" the RisingClan elder yowled. Icepetal waved her tail in farewell before slipping out into the basin.

There was a sharp chill in the air, sharper than usual. Her eyes caught a mass of thick, darkening clouds nearby. They were so heavy they dragged over the mountain peaks in the near distance. Pricked ears caught a low howling sound. Bitter cold air filled her lungs when she took a breath. An uneasy feeling weighed down heavily on her shoulders. Something in the back of her mind shrieked at her that something was horrendously wrong.

"Something wrong, Icepetal?" Tornheart asked quietly, coming to stand beside the warrior.

"I don't know," she replied slowly. Her entire body felt on edge, a strange hum flooding her veins. Everything told her to run, to flee, to escape. _Escape what!?_ A snowflake fell from above and melted on her cheek. The howling sound grew a little louder. "There's something wrong, tell me you feel it too."

A glance over at the Guardian told Icepetal everything. Her eyes were emitting that same light they did whenever she was using her power. The edges of her face were pulled tight, scrunched up in clear concentration. Was anyone else feeling it as well?

Eaglestrike was speaking with Amory, the patrol he'd taken down to the valley with him. Their fur was flat, bodies relaxed. Nothing seemed to be bothering them. Heathersky's kits were playing with Apollo's, the two queens keeping a watchful eye over them as they spoke. They didn't seem affected either. Everywhere she cast her gaze everyone was behaving normally, ignoring the obvious howling on the breeze, oblivious to the temperature dropping around them.

Eyes back on the clouds Icepetal realised with a horrified start that they were much closer than before; darker and thicker. Each breath she took seemed to get harder, like the air was thinning. "Tornheart...?"

Willowclaw stepped into the basin, Sunrise giggling by his side. A small mouse dangled from her mouth. The smile on his face brightened a little when he spotted Icepetal and she returned it with a small one of her own.

"Get under the willow tree," Tornheart whispered hoarsely.

"What?"

" _Everyone get under the willow tree now!_ " she shrieked.

There was a brief pause when everyone's attention turned to Tornheart. Confused faces took in the look of sheer panic on her face, and then chaos erupted. The Clans might have once been separated by borderlines and a Code that demanded loyalty but now they acted as one, each helping the other regardless of Clan. The kits were snagged before they could get caught under paw, the apprentices more-or-less dragged by warriors through the leaves. Tornheart was the last to pass into the shade. Heartbeats later a strong gust of wind blew through, tiny flecks of ice carried with it.

"What's happening!?" Amory demanded. He stood over a group of wide-eyed apprentices.

"Wind's sent a blizzard our way, and I have an awful feeling it isn't just a normal blizzard. If we all stay under here I can make a shield strong enough to keep us safe. But we _have_ to stay here. We can't leave. I can't shield the entire basin," Tornheart explained. The gusts grew stronger and louder. With her back turned to the Clans Tornheart let her power surge. In her mind she created what she wanted: a perfect shield to wrap around the willow tree and fuse with the stone behind it.

The strange hum in Icepetal's veins grew to a near painful tingling then, when Tornheart heaved a quiet sigh her eyes dimming; the tingling vanished, replaced with soft warmth that soothed. She could still hear the wind outside though it sounded muted like it was further away than it really was.

"What do we do now?" Fadedtail asked quietly.

"We wait."


	21. Chapter Twenty-One: Before

**Chapter Twenty-One: Before**

The fresh-kill pile was just outside the willow leaves tucked under a bit of rock that jutted out from the basin wall. It was close enough to be reached if one was brave enough to step foot outside of Tornheart's shield, which no one was. Growling stomachs were ignored. Prey could not be pulled from thin air. Nor was it worth an icy death. That thought was quickly fading away. The apprentices had become unusually quiet, their smaller bodies demanding prey with awful pangs. The queens were beginning to suffer as well. Their milk was running dry. Soon it would become a life or death situation for the kits. Something had to be done. The wind outside screamed.

"I've already told you that I can't protect anyone if they leave the shield," Tornheart repeated for the thousandth time. "It's too much power, and it could bring down the shield around us. You already know that blizzard isn't normal. If Wind and Ice are mixing their powers walking out there could mean an icicle through your skull."

"We can't just sit around here and wait for it to stop. The kits are getting weaker. They need something, so do the apprentices. I don't want to watch them die slowly," Blizzardfang said quietly with a meaningful look to where the queens lay with their weakening kits. His gaze lingered on Eaglestrike curled up around Shiverlight face pulled into an anguished expression. "Our Code demands we do everything we can to ensure the safety of kits."

Thistletail released a heavy sigh and reached up with a hind-leg to scratch absently at her ear. "I do agree with you, Blizzardfang, but we still have to figure out how to get to the pile without dying first. Tornheart says she can't do it without endangering everyone. That's fair and I believe her. Does anyone else have any other ideas?"

"Well it's not as if anyone else has the power to create shields," Stormwhisker scoffed.

"Actually," Amory spoke up, "there might be. Say, Willowclaw, how much do you know about Sunrise's abilities?"

"Not as much as everyone keeps assuming. I found out about it when you all did, okay? I know absolutely nothing about her powers," he answered, levelling Amory with an irritated look. He was sick and tired of them expecting so much of Sunrise. So sure she had some cool power now. That didn't suddenly make her an adult cat. She was till an apprentice. She was still young and inexperienced. He refused to see her used as a pawn.

"I can try to shield someone."

Six senior warriors, a Chosen, and their leader had somehow managed to not spot Sunrise sidling closer to them until she was sitting practically on their paws. Her head was cocked to one side, eyes wide and bright with what Willowclaw assumed was naive hope. He opened his mouth to tell her she couldn't when something snagged his attention. Her blue eye was lit up with a dull light that flickered and wavered. It was so similar to the way Tornheart's eyes appeared when she was wielding her magic. He shifted his paws, uncomfortably glancing around, watching the shadows as they gravitated towards the little she-cat. Did she know she was using her power? Did she know she was dragging every speck of darkness towards her?

"No," Tornheart's voice was cold. "No you can't. You might kill them, Sunrise. Power that is new is volatile, even more so when the one using it is untrained. It is dangerous for me to shield them. It is even more dangerous for you to do it."

Sunrise's face fell. The light in her eye did not go away. "But I know I can do it."

"The consequences are too great. Look above you, Sunrise." Above their heads the darkness was gathering into a thick puddle, clinging to the branches, dripping down towards Sunrise in slimy looking droplets that never made it to her before vanishing. "Do you see what raw, untrained power can do if left unchecked? You didn't even know you were tapping into it. Do you understand why I can't have you trying to use your power on anyone until you've learnt to control it?" Willowclaw pretends he doesn't see the darkness grow sharp and lean towards Tornheart with malicious intent.

"Perhaps it would be worth a try," Amory hummed thoughtfully.

Willowclaw's jaw dropped. "You actually want Sunrise to try shielding someone?"

"It's been three days since the blizzard started. This is our last option. If we do not try it because you refuse to believe in the ability of the kit you brought back with you then are you willing the shoulder the deaths that will come because of it?" Amory said. He had the kind of look that said he knew he would win. Willowclaw grit his teeth. This was his leader, and the leader's word was law.

"Okay. Fine. If you want to try it then let's try it. But I am not going to be the one going out there," he muttered.

"Amory you can't do this. It's too dangerous. You could be sending someone to their death," Tornheart pleaded.

"If I don't then I will be sentencing everyone in here to a slow death," Amory growled. "I am making the decision to trust in Sunrise's power."

Sunrise grinned. "You don't be disappointed. I promise you that I can do this."

"Their death will be on your shoulders if you fail," Amory shrugged. "Now, who do we pick to go out there?"

"Arrow," Tornheart said. "Arrow will go out there."

"You want to send your mate out there!?" Emberstorm exclaimed.

Tornheart stared at Sunrise, "if you believe in yourself so much then I entrust the life of my mate to you. Bring him back safely."

"He won't even get a scratch," Sunrise met her stare evenly.

"Fine, if you want Arrow to go out there then he will. Arrow! Come here, I have something for you to do," Amory shouted.

It was clear by the ex-city cats startled reaction to being ordered around that he still wasn't really used having a leader that actively called on him. "What can I do for you?"

"Sunrise is going to use her power to keep you safe while you fetch the prey from the pile for us." At Arrow's dumbfounded expression Amory added slyly, "you can thank your mate for your part in this."

"How exactly am I going to be kept safe?" Arrow enquired. The look he gave Tornheart was annoyed, like he was used to being the puppet in her experiments. "Not that I don't trust Sunrise."

"I'll wrap us up in some shadows. They'll keep the blizzard out. We'll be safe," Sunrise chirped in response. Her grin was far too excited and far too confident.

Tornheart crouched down to Sunrise's height. "Who said anything about you going out there with him?"

"I kind of need to," she answered slowly like she was explaining something to a kit, "otherwise the shadows will get thinner the further away he gets. They are stronger around me. Plus I don't really want to die either so Arrow will definitely make it back alive."

"If she wants to go out there with him then let her," Amory said dismissively. "Off you go then we don't have all day to sit around here discussing it."

The senior warriors gave Sunrise and Arrow a wide berth, scurrying backwards with expressions that did not speak of faith. Even Tornheart stepped away, Amory by her side. Arrow looked a little sick, glancing at the willow leaves hiding the basin from them. He took a deep breath and pretended his legs weren't quivering.

Sunrise didn't miss it though. "You don't believe I can do it, do you?" she whispered sadly. Above them the shadows surged a bit stronger feeding off her unstable mindset.

"It's not that I don't believe you, Sunrise, it's just that we have no idea what the blizzard is like," he said.

"Only one way to find out, I guess." Arrow didn't get any warning before shadow flooded over him and his vision faded to darkness. Blinking rapidly he tried to pick apart shapes in the black but he couldn't see a thing. A harsh breath got caught in his throat, turning into a choked whimper at the feeling of being trapped. Fur brushed against his side and his eyes found a pale glow: the blue of Sunrise's eye. His heart slowed its frantic pace.

"Sorry, I don't want to risk opening up a hole to see through. We'll just have to feel our way there," she reassured.

It was easy to tell when they'd passed through Tornheart's shield. Sunrise felt the full force of the blizzard batter against her shadows. They whined under the pressure, the bubble surrounding them shrinking as the wind gusted strongly outside. The temperature dropped to icy levels. If they could have been able to see Sunrise knew their breaths would have been visible, little puffs of white cloud. Moving was difficult. Thick snow dragged at their legs. It was nearly up to her stomach, the damp seeping into her fur. Keeping the bubble around them was even harder. Everything in the blizzard sought to tear it down. She closed her eyes and she could feel shards of ice slicing into her shield. With a grunt she made the bubble bigger, gave Arrow more room to shift around. His tiny exhale sounded grateful.

Her paw scuffed against something hard and solid. Bending down she felt feathers stiff with the cold brush her nose. She grinned, "We found it, Arrow. The pile is just by our paws."

"Brilliant. Let's get as much as we can and get it back to Amory. He can decide what to do with frozen prey." His teeth were chattering so much that he stumbled over a few of his words. Strangely enough Sunrise hardly felt the cold. She was aware of it but it was only a dull ache in her bones, nothing big enough to set her teeth chattering. "You pick some up too, Sunrise, I can't carry all of it. My mouth isn't that big regardless of what Tornheart says."

His voice sounded faraway. The darkness around her pulsated and then it fell. Sunrise braced herself for the onslaught of shards with a quiet mewl but felt nothing. Peeking out from around her paws all she saw was white. In the distance a smudge of green was spread across the horizon. Glancing up she found the sky to be white as well. A heavy weight slammed into her side just as sharp claws bit into the skin on her shoulder. Her body moved for her, flipping her assailant over her head, spinning to meet them head on. Eyes half green half blue stared back at her – they were strange, the green bleeding away into the blue like it no longer belonged there. Again she moved without meaning to, rearing up and swiping at their face with claws that drew lines of red. They shouted their pain.

"Sheara! Stop this! We don't need to do this, we can work this out together!" they cried. Sunrise realised that the stranger was talking to her but the voice that came out of her throat was not her own.

"Don't be stupid, Atsiya! You and I can't do anything together. Our purposes don't mix. I was born to save and you were born to destroy. There is nothing to discuss anymore. Now _die!_ " She fell atop Atsiya with a feral snarl, long claws seeking her throat. Atsiya's white fur was turning scarlet in places. She fought back just as viciously teeth catching Sheara's scruff, shaking the other she-cat roughly. Sheara kicked her in the jaw, striking out at her strange eyes. Twisting her head out of the way the blow fell on her cheek cutting to the bone. She scrabbled for purchase on the loose ground kicking Sheara in the stomach in her mad panic to rise back to her paws. The blue in her eyes stretched further now, the green receding in defeat. Sheara struck out with a gold paw only to have Atsiya catch it in her teeth.

"I don't want to kill you." Her plea was muffled. Sheara ripped her paw free whipping the other one around to smack Atisya hard sending the white she-cat tumbling back into the snow. Her flanks heaved. Blood spilled from the cut on her cheek. Shakily she shifted into a sitting position, head hanging down and eyes unfocused. Sunrise felt a shift in the air, an electric charge crackling between them. She tried to shift Sheara's body but it refused to acknowledge her movements. It was not her body. She was merely a guest.

"You don't have to worry about that," Sheara laughed hoarsely. "I'm going to kill you instead. Isn't that how this thing works? When I catch you I kill you? I never really understood the significance of our fate but now I kind of do. We're both abominations but I'm the one this world wants to live. We are destined to fight, Atsiya, and I am destined to kill you."

"Does being my sister mean nothing to you!? Don't you remember how close we were before we discovered who we really were? We had such a wonderful family. Mother and father loved each other so much, and they loved us even more. Rosa and Lan and their kits loved us too. Do you remember the days we spent playing with each other? The mornings we woke up early just to see the sunrise!? Does that not mean anything to you now!?" Atsiya jerked as the full force of Sheara's blow hit her head.

Another shift crackled. "We are not siblings anymore."

The last bit of green in Atsiya's eyes bled away.

 _"_ _Sunrise! Sunrise, can you hear me?"_

From the snow on Sheara's right rose a wall of blue ice, faces rough and jagged. With her attention focused solely on Atsiya the gold she-cat didn't see it until it smashed into her, shattering as it made impact. Her howl was lost in the sound of breaking ice. Atsiya stared at her sister darkly. "I didn't want it to come to this. I didn't want to have to use this. I hate using this. But if you refuse to call a truce then I have no choice. I am sorry, Sheara, that it had to come to this." As she spoke a long, sharp icicle formed above her head, vicious tip pointed towards Sheara's skull.

 _"_ _Sunrise snap out of it! You're going to kill us both!"_

There was a brief moment before the icicle fell in which Sheara sucked in a deep breath, her eyes flickering a burnt gold. When it fell it did not spear her. Instead it passed into the thickness of a dark mass of shadows, one that resembled a cat, which snarled at Atsiya. Her shock gave Sheara the chance to launch herself through the shadow, latching onto her sister, ripping into the side of her neck with bloodied teeth. Breathing out a cloud of cold Atsiya dropped her body temperature to near freezing levels so that her skin became painful to touch. Sheara's grip loosened and Atsiya threw her off. The ground where she landed became pitch black her shadows spilling from her body like blood. Solidifying and sharpening they lashed out at Atsiya, slicing through her skin. The walls of ice that sprung up kept most at bay but still some managed to slither past.

"Just give up!" Sheara roared. "This is not your world, it's mine! I was sent to watch over it, to protect it from the likes of you!"

"How can you call yourself a protector when the darkness is your ally!? That is a power reserved for villains in stories!" Atsiya screamed back, pushing at one of her walls so that it toppled towards Sheara. The she-cat leapt out of the way only to have another thrown at her. The shadows took a little of the impact away but it still left her gasping for breath and bleeding. An icicle flew through her ear puncturing the thin flesh. Her howl sent her shadows flying at Atsiya, wrapping around her legs, flowing up her body like water. They stuck fast trapping her in place.

 _"_ _Please, Sunrise, I'm begging you to come back! The blizzard is getting worse and your shield isn't working! Sunrise, you promised!"_

Sheara meandered over to her at a leisurely pace – she favoured her left side as she walked, right side bruised and battered. "The power of villains you claim? Tell me, _sister_ , how many have you killed with _your_ power, hmm? I haven't harmed a soul with mine. But I know you've killed with yours. So, tell me, who have you _killed_? Mother and father weren't enough? Lan didn't put up enough of a fight for you? Did the terrified squeals of our younger siblings not sate your bloodlust? I am not the monster here, Atsiya. _You are._ "

Her next words were interrupted by a mouthful of blood and a harsh cry. She spat red over Atsiya's face, eyes rolling into the back of her head as she stumbled and fell. Her shadows quivered, and then disappeared in bursts of ash. Atsiya slumped into a crouch beside her shaking sister. She eyed the curved icicle protruding from the scarlet of Sheara's stomach. Her body convulsed around it trying to force it out but it wouldn't budge. She heaved in a weak breath that rattled in her lungs. The gold of her fur was rapidly fading to black.

Leaning over Atsiya whispered in Sheara's ear. "If anything _you_ turned me into a monster."

 _"_ _SUNRISE!"_

The white world collapsed, returning to the pitch blackness of her shadow bubble. Arrow was pushing against her frantically, nipping and pinching at her skin with his teeth. He sounded hysterical, breaths coming in short gasps, his pulse thundering. She felt her bubble shudder as the blizzard pressed harder against it. Sunrise didn't need to see to know that the Elementals were watching. She could feel their almighty presence weighing down on her. There wasn't much of that vision that she understood but to her it seemed that Shadowstalkers and Elementals had been mortal enemies for a very long time; it was an age old battle she had found herself in the middle of. She pushed at her bubble to make it larger, then let it flair however it liked, giving the shadows permission to slither up the basin sides towards the ones responsible for the blizzard.

"I'm fine, Arrow, I'm fine. Let's go," she nudged the city cat with her nose, urging him back the way they had come. Already she could feel the strength behind the blizzard waning. The feeling of power the Elementals gave off was lessening as well: they were retreating. Whatever they had come to get they had gotten it. _Maybe it was just to test my power. Did they see the vision too? Was that why they were here?_

Sunrise let the bubble fall away once they had made it back into the safety of the willow leaves. The shadows lingered for a heartbeat poking and prodding gently at her before they vanished. Arrow fell onto his side with a dramatic sigh. "I am never agreeing to anymore of your whacky plans, Tornheart!"

"But it worked," Tornheart smiled, leaning down to nuzzle him. "You did fine. Just stay down there till your heart beat returns to a normal pace." She turned to Sunrise with a less pleased expression. "I know you managed to do it but something happened out there. The others might not have felt it but I did. What happened?"

Before she could answer Willowclaw wrapped his big paw around her and pulled her towards him, smothering her in his thick fur. "Never do anything like that again. It's awful having to sit here and watch you do things like that knowing I can't help."

"He's right," Icepetal pressed her cold nose into Sunrise's stomach making her squeal. "I hate sitting here not being able to help you."

"With a power like that you can't expect me to let her sit around doing nothing," Amory interrupted. He had a slight smile that was directed completely at Sunrise. "Well done. You've saved the kits, and a few of the apprentices. Thank you. Did you see anything out there?"

"The Elementals were out there. I could feel them. But they're gone now, and I think the blizzard might stop soon too," Sunrise replied, grinning widely. It felt amazing to have done something so important. Saving lives was such a rewarding feeling.

While the others were discussing how to ration the prey Sunrise snuck back over to Tornheart, meeting the wielder's guarded stare with a big smile. "I want you to train me. I want to know how to use my power properly."

"What happened out there, Sunrise?" Tornheart demanded.

"Nothing, I just felt the Elemental's presence. I swear," she added at the other's sceptical look. "Please teach me."

Tornheart sighed. "Fine. But you have to promise to do exactly what I say at all times. Your power is different than mine so I'm not exactly sure how to deal with it. Okay?"

"Okay!" The vision was a mystery, something Tornheart didn't need to know about. It probably didn't even mean anything. She'd ask her dark friend. But for now she was going to throw everything she had into learning how to use her power to its fullest. A taste of victory had given her a vicious yearning for it. The Elemental's wouldn't stand a chance against her once she'd learned how to use the shadows properly. She would push and push and push until she had nothing left to give, and then give some more.

She was a Shadowstalker and her destiny was to destroy the Elemental's.


	22. Chapter Twenty-Two: Unexpected

**Chapter Twenty-Two: Unexpected**

He had a throbbing headache. It pounded just beneath his eye, a constant pain that didn't seem like it wanted to budge. His kits clambering over him demanding he play with them certainly weren't helping either. In fact they were most likely the cause of his pain. He sighed and casted a glance over to Shiverlight; she was still talking with Icepetal, the two laughing about something. Something in the way Icepetal kept sending pointed glances at Willowclaw told him their conversation was about the other warrior. The tension between Willowclaw and Icepetal was beginning to grate his nerves. They'd managed to travel all the way to Crimson's mountain and back without arguing but as soon as they made it home suddenly they couldn't stand each other. He really didn't want to ask why yet he was going to have to eventually or the Chosen would crumble.

Inara slid down his forehead onto his muzzle, whining at him to play with them. He huffed out a puff of air and tilted his head so that she slid off. Her offended mew hardly reached his ears he was so deep in thought. Surely he wasn't the only one who had noticed the growing distance between the other two Chosen. They had arrived joined at the hip. Someone was bound to use it against him when he brought up bringing back the four ancient Clans. They were going to use _everything_ against him when he brought that up. _If only I could talk to Littleflame and tell her to show herself to them._ But nights of calling and calling for the dead warrior had turned up nothing. She hadn't shown herself nor had she replied to his calls. Not even Rainpatch was answering. It had left him wondering if he and Willowclaw had simply imagined what had happened on the mountain after Crimson's death.

Sunrise bounded in through the willow leaves with a giddy smile plastered across her muzzle. Following her contentedly was Tornheart. Now if any cats were inseparable it was those two. Apparently Sunrise's power training was going rather well. Amory was certainly pleased with how it was going. Half the time he and Amory spoke the leader gushed about how much safer the Clans would be now. It made Eaglestrike feel a little unwanted. He was supposed to be Sunrise's mentor, not Tornheart. Was the ex-warrior teaching her mundane things like hunting and fighting too? Or had those lessons been forgotten in the excitement of her brilliant powers? He supposed that was partly his own fault though. All his attention these days was focused on Shiverlight, and their kits. He hadn't even been involved in the discussion regarding fetching prey during the blizzard. _Does Amory even think of me as his partner anymore?_

"Eaglestrike, do you have a moment?"

He jerked his head up so quickly that Jay tumbled from his back with a squawk. Amory looked down at him expectantly. "Of course. Hold on." To the kits he said, "You four stay right here until either your mother or I get back. If I found out you've moved before then I'll send you to see Risingwhisper."

That was enough of a threat to have the four of them vigorously nodding their heads. Eaglestrike's frown softened into a gentle smile. "Good. I won't be long."

Amory lead him over to the sloping ledge that jutted out into the basin. It was a jagged piece of rock, most likely the product of a waterfall that no longer ran. The golden tom didn't use it much. He'd said it made him feel a little ridiculous. Now it served as a place for Amory to talk with whoever he wanted to without anyone else overhearing it. The only cat close enough to eavesdrop was Risingwhisper but her hearing was only half as good as it used to be.

"You were born to be a father, Eaglestrike. Those kits worship you," Amory's tone was warm.

"Ah, thank you. I'm just trying my hardest to make up for the time I wasn't with them. Shiverlight needs a break every now and again," he laughed.

Amory chuckled – it was a deep sound straight from his chest. "I assume you are glad that your mate managed to find you then? It doesn't take much observation to see how much you care for them all. They are your entire world, aren't they?"

"Yes," Eaglestrike answered honestly. "But that doesn't mean I'm any less loyal to the Clans. I will still put my life on the line to protect them."

"I never once doubted your loyalty."

Eaglestrike nodded. He didn't want to meet Amory's gaze afraid that the leader would be able to see that he doubted his own words. If he gave his life for the Clans Shiverlight would be left alone once again. That was something that hurt him to think about. "Has the blizzard finally gone?"

"It has. Six days of confinement are finally over. Whatever Sunrise did out there it scared them off." Amory's brow creased and he grumbled, "But it's still freezing beyond Tornheart's shield. The kits can't go out there, they'll die. Even some of the warriors are struggling. I've had reports that the river feeding the waterfall is freezing solid in places, and that there are layers of ice on some of the paths. Icicles are dangling from tree limbs like leaves. Singingriver tells me that this isn't a normal leaf bare. At this rate we'll all freeze to death in a moon."

For the first time in a few days Eaglestrike actually looked at his leader properly. Amory appeared tired, exhausted even. His pelt was lacking its usual shine and there was a haunted look about his eyes. "Are you okay, Amory?" The question was out before he could clamp his mouth shut around it.

There was a brief, _brief_ , moment when the shield Amory had so perfectly constructed fell away and Eaglestrike saw _everything_. Exhaustion, anger, a deep sorrow, fear, shock. Then his wall slammed back up. The cold, distant Amory that lead the Clans without faltering was back.

"You would do well to remember that I am your leader, not your friend. I did not ask for your time to discuss hardships. I want to talk about Sunrise. You aren't giving her the attention you should be as her mentor. Since Shiverlight has arrived you have hardly glanced Sunrise's way. She needs an active mentor to teach her how to hunt and fight. I have decided that you are no longer up to the task. With Heathersky's kits nearing their apprenticeship there are not many available warriors to take over Sunrise's training, so I will do it instead," Amory said forcefully.

Eaglestrike felt his mouth run dry. Amory hadn't spoken to him for days and now he was stripping him of his apprentice. He wanted to ask why, he wanted to shout at Amory, tell him he didn't deserve it, but deep down he knew he did. He'd cast Sunrise aside in favour of his kits, of the family he hadn't known he'd craved so deeply. This was to be his punishment.

"Wouldn't it be easier for Tornheart to teach her how to hunt and fight? She's already training her powers," he offered feebly.

"Tornheart is not a Clan warrior. It is not her duty to teach our youth. That falls to the warriors, when they are not coddling their offspring. When you are ready to return to normal Clan duties let me know. Have a good day, Eaglestrike." Amory strode away leaving behind him a dejected warrior wondering if he could fix what had just been broken.

Sunrise couldn't help but shrink a little closer to the ground when Amory stood over her. He looked angry. Then again she thought he was always angry. She peeked around him to where Eaglestrike still sat; his head was hanging low in a dejected way, his ears were pinned flat to his skull, and his claws flexed into the grass.

"Don't give him anymore of your attention," Amory growled.

She twitched an ear and slid her gaze slowly back to the leader. "Why not? He's my mentor and my friend. Why wouldn't I give him my attention?"

"He is no longer your mentor. I am. Eaglestrike has not been giving you the attention you deserve. A warrior should be able to put his kits beneath his duties. Eaglestrike could not do that and this is his punishment. Come, we're joining a patrol. I need to see how much of our territory this chill is affecting."

He left without giving Sunrise a chance to complain, striding away like he was the most important cat on the mountain. She scowled at his retreating figure. It wasn't fair that he'd made himself her mentor. He'd only done that because she had her powers. If she'd been a normal apprentice he wouldn't even blink in her direction. Still scowling she began to follow her new mentor when she felt a tugging sensation on her heart. Behind her Eaglestrike was probably feeling awful. Amory could have said terrible things to him about abandoning his apprentice. He needed someone to talk to.

" _Sunrise!_ " The anger in Amory's voice erased the tugging feeling. Sunrise ran to him so quick she nearly tripped over her own paws. It didn't feel nice leaving Eaglestrike alone.

Of course Aspenthorn was on the patrol. He sneered at Sunrise when she skidded to a stop beside her new mentor. Sunrise was beginning to wonder if he actually liked anyone; though she had heard from Bumblepaw that Aspenthorn had a mate, and kits. Her nose wrinkled of its own accord. How could anyone like the rude tom enough to want a family with him?

"Why is Crimson's runt joining us?" he spat at Amory.

"Because she is accompanying her mentor," Amory said.

Aspenthorn glanced around the assembled patrol. "Her mentor isn't here. Eaglestrike's dangling off his mate still."

"Do you have a brain up here?" Fadedtail flicked Aspenthorn in the head. "Amory's taken over her training while Eaglestrike looks after his family. Do keep up."

"What!? You're just going to let Eaglestrike sit around and do nothing?" Aspenthorn sputtered.

Sunrise ducked her head. She didn't want to hear this. "No. I have given Eaglestrike a choice that he must make. For now I will be looking after his apprentice. Perhaps he will be able to have her back in the future. Let's go. I want to scout out the furthest trails."

She wasn't an object to be passed around to whoever wanted her. It made her angry to be spoken about like that. No one had asked her how she felt about her sudden mentor change. Did anyone even care? She had picked Eaglestrike to be her mentor, not Amory. But now it seemed like she was going to be stuck with the golden tom till he decided Eaglestrike had learnt his lesson. Yes, it was fair to be a little mad at Eaglestrike for spending more time with his mate and kits than performing Clan duties, but up until a little while ago he had been lead to believe that he would never see Shiverlight again. He deserved to remind himself that she wasn't going to vanish again.

Risking a glance back into the basin before she stepped into the mountains Sunrise found him in the same spot, hunched over, defeated. Her heart ached. He was the closest thing to a father she had and he needed her but she could not go to him. She didn't notice Amory stop beside her, nor did she notice his eyes searching her face.

"These things will only serve to make him stronger," he said quietly. "He is a strong warrior but there are parts of him that are weak still. I want to do everything in my power to help him strengthen those but if he will not let me then I cannot. I see a bright future for him."

"You want to see him get stronger?" she murmured, tipping her head a little to the left. This time she allowed Amory to lead her after the patrol. They slipped into an easy pace, behind the patrol enough that their words would not be heard. Outside the basin the chill was so much stronger. Sunrise called to the shadows and let them cacoon her in a thin layer, unseeable to most, that would keep her body heat from escaping.

"Of course. I want to see all my warriors grow stronger. There will come a time when I will no longer be here to watch over you all. Someone will need to take my place." Amory glanced at the patrol. "When I die it will be the strongest warrior that continues my legacy."

Picking her way down a few shaky rocks she said, "And you want that to be Eaglestrike?"

"I've seen the way he takes charge. He is without fear of failure. He doesn't seem to care for what others think. Those are the makings of a great leader. Surely you've heard the stories Willowclaw has told? The way Eaglestrike took charge during the time your family spent away from the valley was extraordinary. He's a young warrior yet he thinks with the mind of a much older one. He could be great, Sunrise."

Around them sprawled tough mountain forest. It clung with steadfast roots to the rising and falling mountain landscape. It had once been a bright forest, dark green leaves clinging to every branch, an abundance of brave birds chirping from within. Now it sat bare, strong trees reduced to frail skeletons with leaves of dangling ice. Snow choked the ground and where it did not there was ice to take its place. Even the leaf mould had vanished. It wasn't a pretty picture. Low hanging fog slithered through the rocks, snakelike in its movement. The patrol was on edge, fur bristling. The mountains felt unnatural.

"I know he can be great," she whispered. It sounded too loud in the quiet. "I can see him just as well as you can."

"Then you understand why I had to do this then?" he asked. The long scars on the side of his face unnerved her. They were gruesome. She almost wanted to ask what horrible creature had done it to him.

"Yes." It was a lie, but she didn't want to understand. Sunrise didn't want to see the logic behind Amory's words. It was easier to hate the leader that was making her family suffer. _But is he even doing that? He's leading, as he should. It's Eaglestrike and Icepetal angering him._

Amory cleared his throat and nodded skeletal forest. "Show me what Eaglestrike has taught you. Tell me what you can smell, what you can hear. Tell me if you believe we are safe here."

The first thing that came to mind when she took a deep breath was cold. It struck at the back of her throat like tiny icicles. Fighting beyond the chill she found...nothing. There was nothing beneath the chill. Just more cold. The icicles clinging to the trees smelled cold. The snow smothering the ground smelled cold. A deeper breath dug up remnants of long-dead prey, the scent of rotting almost hidden under the ice. The scent of the Clan cats came next. It was quiet strong but that was understandable. The patrol had passed by mere moments ago. Plus they were nearing the outskirts of their territory, the scent markers would be nearby. Her ears twitched. She could hear Amory breathing beside her. The wind whistled lowly. A high-flying hawk shrieked in the distance. She thought she could hear the soft babble of water. Dipping gently into her blood powers she could hear Amory's heartbeat, strong and comforting, as well as the blood that pooled through his body.

"There's nothing out here other than us. Everything's either dead or moved far away from here. I can smell the cold and the scent markers, and something rotting under the ice down there. The wind's not as loud as yesterday." Looking over her shoulder she scoured the cliff top that winked at her from high above. "No one's watching us. We're safe." Something tingled at the base of her spine.

"Good, very good. Did you use your power to do that?" Amory asked.

"Huh?" Sunrise peeked up at him, "no? It doesn't work like that. None of my senses have been changed. Tornheart could probably do that but her power isn't really bound to one thing. All I can use are the shadows."

With a thoughtful hum Amory turned to catch up with the others. "How do you use your power?"

"Uh, I guess I just tell it what to do? If I picture what I want it to do in my mind then it usually does it. The more I use it the easier it gets. It's kind of like hunting and fighting," she laughed. "Training makes it better." The tingle at the base of her spine stretched up her back. She flicked her ears back listening for paw steps. When none sounded she shrugged.

"So the training Tornheart is giving you is helping?"

Sunrise looked at him. "Sort of. Our powers differ, I think. Hers is more emotionally based, when she gets too angry or too upset she can lose control. Mine isn't. Nothing about my emotions changes how my power works."

They were now treading along the very edge of their territory. It didn't look very different, dead forest on both sides, but further down the path tall mountain walls enclosed their territory. A hole in the wall was where they stood now, staring into lands that were not their own. Far above their heads the wall was still intact, but it became jagged and broken at one point, stone teeth leering down at them. A river had run through it long ago, smashing its way down into the grasslands. Sunrise felt very small looking at it.

The tingle returned with a ferocity, zipping up her legs and spreading over her body. She didn't need to look around to know that they were no longer alone. "Amory!"

He glanced at her, "what is it?"

"Someone else is here. I can feel it."

Amory didn't waste a second. "Aspenthorn! Get over here now!" His barked order dangled in the air between them. There wasn't much space between the patrol and them, only a few foxleaps. But when the monstrous creature leaped out from behind the wall it cut them off from each other. It was long and tall, legs taller than Amory. Shaggy, dark gray fur covered it from head to paw. It had a roundish face and a long muzzle that was quirked up into a devilish grin.

"Such an easy meal I've stumbled upon." Its voice was thick, and the words clumped together oddly making it hard to understand. "Morrighan smiles on me today."

"Sunrise, now!" Amory yowled.

Her shadows flung themselves from her body at her request, speeding towards the creature with the intent of wrapping it up. Never faced with shadows as an enemy the creature yelped when they latched onto its legs. It swung its head down and tried to bite at the darkness with wicked teeth. To Sunrise it looked to be an easy fight. The creature was no match for her shadows. At Amory's signal the rest of the patrol swooped down onto it and it through back its head, releasing a mournful howl that echoed.

But of course things were never that easy anymore. Sunrise felt the change in the air far too late to warn anyone. Ice's wrath crashed down on them, a wall of thin ice that shattered upon impact. Blood turned white to scarlet. Sunrise bit back a cry of pain, peering at her side at the shard protruding from her flank. She didn't get a chance to pull it out. Ice's claws ripped into the side of her head as the Elemental dragged Sunrise up into a sitting position. Thrusting her muzzle into Sunrise's face Ice hissed: "Stay _out_ of my head!"

Struggling in Ice's grip Sunrise called for her shadows then noticed, with a sinking feeling in her stomach, that Ice had trapped them inside thick ice. There were a few smaller shadows lurking in crevices but not enough. "I was never in your head!" she cried.

"Oh don't give me that." She was thrown to the ground. Ice prowled over to her, head low, lips pulled back into an angry snarl. "You saw it. You picked your way into my mind and dragged up that memory! I don't know how you did it but I am about to ensure that you will never be able to do it again."

Ice was talking about the vision like it was a memory. The pieces dropped into place and Sunrise gasped. "That was you? You were Atsiya?"

Blinding pain enveloped her head, Ice's claws carving a bloody path from forehead to muzzle. "Don't you _dare_ use that name! You don't understand anything of what you saw."

Through the horrendous pain Sunrise screamed, " _You killed your own sister!"_

"Die, Shadowstalker." Her head was pushed up, teeth nipped at her throat, and Sunrise truly thought that she would die; surrounded by cold ice at the mercy of a killer she had fooled herself into thinking she could beat. Feebly she pushed at Ice with her small shadows but they were weak, useless.

Then she heard it. Or rather, something in her made her hear it.

The thumping of Ice's heart. The spill of her blood through her veins. Sunrise locked eyes with Ice, and smiled. "Maybe you shouldn't underestimate me." There was no stubborn refusal this time. Obeying her demand a drop of blood fell from Ice's chest. It landed on Sunrise. A confused murmur sounded from the Elemental. Another drop fell. Then another and another until it was a steady stream. Sunrise's smile grew into a smirk. She focused on the unsteady beat of Ice's heart and imagined a crushing weight bearing down on it. A garbled howl pierced the air at the same moment the ice surrounded them shattered.

It was such a rush to _feel_ someone else's blood shudder in their veins. There really was no other feeling like it. Ice crouched close to the ground eyes narrowed, breath coming out in frantic pants; her body trembled as the vice around her heart inched tighter. Sunrise could kill her like that. She knew she could. One Elemental dead. It seemed so _easy_. Ice had tormented the Clans for moons and now she quivered before an apprentice's paws like a scared little kit. The grin that spread across Sunrise's muzzle cast a dark shadow over her face, the way it reached into her eyes and darkened them was hauntingly familiar.

"I won't let you hurt anyone ever again," she murmured, reaching out with a paw to shove Ice onto her side. They were alone in Sunrise's mind. To her there wasn't another cat near them. The mountains spread out around her eerily empty, cold and dark. "I won't let you."

Ice gasped out, "you're the reason we live."

Her body was moving but Sunrise could no longer control it. At her side her shadows rose in feline shapes, blood for eyes and mouths. For some reason that she did not know those words burned in her ears. They were blasphemous. How dare Ice blame her for their existence when she was the one running around killing everyone? She would end what her ancestors had failed to end. The world would return to normal. Her family would be able to go home. Everything would be... _okay_.

"So young to have such a burden," Ice whispered, and then winced. "Sometimes I want to ask the Creator why they place such awful responsibilities on such young cats. But you are still my enemy."

The ice that slammed into Sunrise nearly knocked her out. Her vision swam, black spots blinding her. An awful throbbing started up in the side of her head and, paired with her already burning claw wounds, it made her open her mouth and wail. Whatever had come over her vanished in a split second, Sunrise returning to the terrified little apprentice she was. The wounds on her head spilled so much blood over her, the stench clogging in her nose. She was so scared. Her wails grew louder, tears running hot down her cheeks.

Warmth wrapped around her, a purr rumbling comfortingly against her back. Shifting she blinked through teary eyes spotting golden fur. "You're fine, Sunrise. It's okay. Take deep breaths, we'll get you back to the basin to see Tornheart. She'll take the pain away," Amory said gently. Her wails subsided into quiet hiccups. Amory's quiet purring was an odd comfort and she turned her face into his chest just to listen to it closer.

"The other wolves are gone," River said.

"How far did you chase them?" Amory asked.

Fadedtail, through her panting, answered, "Just till the river down in the unknown. Their scent was stronger down there."

"That is concerning. For now we need to get Sunrise back to the basin. Keep an eye out for the other Elementals." His voice grew quiet, "hope on my back, Sunrise. You can't walk like this."

Her body felt far away, her movements sluggish. Everything ached. Her head burned. The stench of blood made her head swim. Clambering shakily onto Amory's back she met Aspenthorn's gaze by accident. Half-expecting a sneered comment she just sighed. She got a worried look and a little smile instead. He said something but she was too far away to hear it, the darkness at the backs of her eyelids swarming.


	23. Chapter Twenty-Three: Tormented

**Chapter Twenty-Three: Tormented**

He wasn't in the basin any longer. No he was far away, back down in the valley moons before he'd been forced on a journey that would kill two. He was young and small, face rounded with youth, made soft with gentle kit-fluff; his stormy eyes twinkled, his mouth quirked into a constant smile. There wasn't a mark on his body save for the tiny circle on his shoulder, small and insignificant, a birth mark his mother called it. Fur refused to grow over it. He didn't think much of the tiny circle. Young Eaglestrike clung fervently to the grand tales of old warriors; to the wonder of Tigerstar's rise to power, and Hawkfrost's bitter trials to take back what had been stolen. Gentle Brambledrop fuelled his fantasies with her stories.

Apprenticed to Shadowsky come his sixth moon Eaglepaw didn't think of the war raging around him – yes the Clans surrendered but that didn't mean Crimson stopped the blood spread. He looked up into his mentor's dull blue eyes and saw a future in them in which he was a famed warrior, the kind mother's told stories about. He practically felt like bursting when Shadowsky steered him diligently from camp, his first tour of PhoenixClan's territory bound to be exciting.

The rolling sand dunes were hot under his paws. Shadowsky didn't seem fazed so Eaglepaw pretended each step didn't making him wince. He'd get used to it he was sure. Eventually he'd be running across theses dunes in pursuit of hares. For now he kept close to Shadowsky's side, listening to the warnings his mentor was giving him.

"Never leave the camp by yourself. Stay away from the borders unless you are with a patrol. If you see a stranger do not approach them, run straight back to camp. If Darkbreeze tells you to collect the kits and run you do it without a second thought. If any warrior tells you to do something you have to do it. Understand?"

It all sounded a little boring. Eaglepaw hadn't imagined so many rules. "I understand," he answered obediently. His mother had raised him to be polite and respect his elders. "How long will it be till I'm a warrior?"

Shadowsky snorted. "Enthusiastic are we? It's customary for your training to last six moons. If you're awful at everything it might take a little longer."

"I'm not going to be awful at anything." Eaglepaw puffed his chest out.

With a quiet laugh Shadowsky rubbed the top of his apprentice's head with his paw. "No, I suppose Sparrowclaw's son would be good at everything. Come on, stop wasting daylight. We have a lot of ground to cover."

The sun was setting when they trotted down into their cavern camp. Eaglepaw's paws had gone numb but the grin on his face was wide. There was sand caught in his fur and burrs tangled in his tail but by the stars he was happy. He spotted his mother cooing over Robinpaw near the warrior's cave. Only after his mentor had given him permission to leave did he scamper over to them both with a loud mew.

"There's my only son!" Brambledrop's purr was awfully loud. She leaned down to nuzzle her son's head roughly not caring for his angry protests. "Tell me all about your first day. I want to hear everything."

So he did. From falling over his own paws into a scraggly bush to showing his mentor how quick he could run. He spoke so quickly he tripped over his own words and had to repeat the same sentence over again. All the while his mother listened, smiling warmly. She responded to his antics with quiet laughter and gentle scolding's. When Eaglepaw was finished he took a deep breath and cocked his head to one side. "It was great. I loved it."

"Yeah?" Robinpaw stuck her tongue out, "well I caught my first prey when Emberstorm took me out."

"What? No way!?" Eaglepaw whined.

Brambledrop tugged him close to her. "Don't be disheartened. You'll catch your first prey soon enough."

"But I wanted to be the first to catch something!"

"Stop whining." The deep rumble came from behind them. Eaglepaw scrambled away from his mother's side to fling himself at Sparrowclaw's paws, purring happily. "You are an apprentice now and apprentices do not whine."

"Yes, Sparrowclaw," he answered.

Sparrowclaw was a big cat. He was tall and thickset. His short, tawny coat was broken up by numerous scars. Some were still healing the skin around them an angry red. He had very pale tabby stripes, and a long tail. His black ear tips twitched, instinctively reacting to the sounds around them. He was everything Eaglepaw wanted to be: a perfect warrior that everyone looked up to. Even Darkbreeze asked for Sparrowclaw's opinion and she was the _deputy_.

"I heard you caught your first prey already, Robinpaw?" Sparrowclaw said.

The little, reddish tabby she-cat nodded excitedly. "Yes! It was a mouse. Emberstorm said I hunted very well for my first attempt."

"That's wonderful. Have you seen your sister?"

"Wrenpaw just left with Featherleaf." Brambledrop paused in her grooming, "she said she was going battle training."

"Battle training on the first day, now that is impressive. Robinpaw, keep training hard. Eaglepaw...stay out of trouble." Then he was gone, striding off towards Darkbreeze importantly. Eaglepaw stared after him with a little pout. _How come everyone else got to do cool things today?_

Robinpaw left in a hurry shouting over her shoulder that Runningpaw wanted to share tongues. Shifting uncomfortably Eaglepaw glanced around the cavern in search of something do to. He hadn't made friends with any of the other apprentices yet.

"Don't let your father bother you too much. He does love you," Brambledrop said softly.

"Of course he loves me. I'm his only son," Eaglepaw replied hotly, "and I'm going to make him super proud."

She sighed. "I know you will."

Eaglepaw squinted up at his mother, "did you hurt yourself again?"

"What makes you ask that?" she said stiffly.

"You have another scratch on your nose."

Brambledrop nudged her son away. "An accident, little one. Go make some friends. You can't hang around me all the time anymore."

A moon passed by achingly slowly. Each day was an uphill battle; Shadowsky was a tough mentor who had high expectations for his apprentice. Eaglepaw felt like he wasn't getting any better at anything. His hunting was appalling according to Robinpaw, and his fighting was less intimidating than a mouse, or so Wrenpaw said. He was trying really hard. Everything Shadowsky said he listened to. Everything his mentor showed him he tried to learn. But it was hard and he was struggling and no one seemed to want to care. He wasn't going to give up though, no that would make him a weak warrior and he was not going to be a weak warrior. A son of Sparrowclaw never gave up because things were tough.

"Eaglepaw, I shouldn't need to have to tell you this again. When you slide under Wrenpaw's belly you _have_ to slide out the way you came as quickly as possible. Otherwise she'll just crush you beneath her. Try again." Shadowsky tried, he really did, to teach his apprentice everything he needed to know. But Eaglepaw was a slow learner and this world did not cater to cats that could not learn to survive quick enough.

Wrenpaw dived at Eaglepaw and he did what he had been taught. He stepped to the side, lifting up a paw that brushed roughly against his sister's haunches. The touch threw off her balance. Wobbling, her attention was on keeping her paws on the ground. Eaglepaw used this to throw himself underneath her on his back. But his jump was awkward; his shoulder collided with the hard sand and he winced at the pain. Desperate to prove himself he frantically rolled himself back over, forgoing causing any pretend damage to Wrenpaw's underbelly in favour of escaping. She crashed down on him with a pleased purr. He'd failed again.

He heard a sigh from Shadowsky. "Okay, Eaglepaw. We'll try again tomorrow. For now let's just go hunting."

"No! Please! Let me just try one more time, I know I can do it!" Eaglepaw pleaded. He couldn't give up. He had to keep going he had to prove to Wrenpaw and to Featherleaf that he was just as good as the other apprentices; that he could live up to his family name. " _Please_."

"I think you have done enough for today." Sparrowclaw stood in the sunlight streaming into the cave his apprentice, Blackpaw, by his side. He looked disappointed and it killed Eaglepaw to be the reason for it. The attention his father gave him lasted only for another heartbeat before it was given all to Wrenpaw. "You are becoming extremely skilled, Wrenpaw. Your mother would be proud."

Eaglepaw swallowed the guilt churning in his gut. _Why can't I be someone they can be proud of?_ He chose to ignore Shadowsky brushing up beside him until his mentor spoke

"You are improving," he said quietly. "I can see it. Sparrowclaw doesn't see you train every day, he can't see the little improvements. We'll keep working."

"I won't be given my warrior name when my sisters do if I can't work harder." Eaglepaw walked away from the training cave without anyone protesting. Even his mentor let him go. He knew his apprentice needed time, but it was time he didn't have.

The sun had set by the time Eaglepaw approached the dune that his camp was hidden within. He'd be in trouble for staying out so long. It wasn't safe for apprentices to be out after dark, not with Crimson's soldiers lurking everywhere. But his wandering had been extensive, traipsing to the furthest corner of his territory before realising the lowness of the sun. Now he ambled slowly back home. His mind had been buzzing all afternoon but it was quiet now, quite content to just sit on his plan to become better. He would train all the time. He wouldn't stop until he was as good as his sister – _better_ than them.

"- are you treating him this way?" The voice drifted over the tip of a smaller dune a bit to his left. Pricked ears caught a deeper voice answering but the words were too hard to make out. It sounded a little like his father's deep tone. Curiosity was a difficult thing for senior warriors to shake but for an apprentice it was near impossible to ignore.

Brambledrop and Sparrowclaw stood facing each other. "Because he is not who he should have been," he snapped at his mate.

"Who should he have been, Sparrowclaw?" she said quietly. "You cannot force him to be someone he's not."

"I needed a strong son to carry on my bloodline. A future leader, someone the Clan would look up to like they look up to me," Sparrowclaw hissed, "and that is not what I see in my son. I'm starting to wonder if he even is my son."

Brambledrop's face grew pinched. "Just because he is not as strong as you does not mean he is not yours. Strength isn't passed down. It's a gift. It's not his fault that he doesn't have it so _stop_ blaming him."

"I will stop blaming him when he starts showing promise. Look at your daughters, they are perfect. Wrenpaw shows such promise with her fighting, she can't be beaten by the other apprentices and she even gives her mentor a hard time. Robinpaw chases down hares like they were mice. They are extraordinary apprentices. Now tell me what Eaglepaw has."

"Your _son_ has compassion. He has a heart bigger than anyone else's, and you are ruining him. All he wants is to make you proud, Sparrowclaw. I see the way he looks at you when you put him down. His heart breaks. Eaglepaw is trying harder than everyone to be who he thinks you want him to be. It's killing him inside," Brambledrop said.

"Then he needs to try harder to earn my affection."

"He shouldn't have to earn it you are his father!"

Eaglepaw watched silently as his father raised a paw, claws glinting in the redness of the moon, and struck his mother hard across the face. "Perhaps it's time I find someone else to mother _strong_ kits." He left Brambledrop crouched in the sand, head hanging low.

Later that night Eaglepaw crept into his mother's nest in the medicine cave and curled up quietly by her side. He snuggled close to her, comforted by the sound of her heart. He'd heard that she'd blamed the scratches on her face on soldiers. He hated that he knew the truth.

"Are you proud of me?" he whispered.

She rested her head gently over his. "If I was anymore proud I would burst."

"Have all your scratches been from him?"

The question hung heavy in the still air. He heard his mother's heart racing within her rib cage, a frantic beat full of terror and humility. "He does it because he loves us." They didn't talk about it anymore.

Another moon crawled by. Sparrowclaw's treatment of his mate went unnoticed by all save for little Eaglepaw who couldn't do a thing about it. Who would believe him? Brambledrop didn't mention it at all. It was like it hadn't even happened. She'd said he did it because he loved them all. Eaglepaw didn't really understand love, but if his mother said so then it must be true. So he pretended he didn't notice the wounds.

Then things took an awful turn.

Suntail staggered back to camp, Larkwing's tattered body draped over her bloodied shoulders like a sick flag. She slumped to the ground in a growing puddle of red. Her chest heaved and her mouth produced frail whines. "The soldiers," she wheezed, "they are coming." A shadow fell over her body, cast from the cave mouth.

Horrified Eaglepaw could only watch from Shadowsky's side as war spewed into the place he thought was safest. His mentor shoved him roughly. "Get the kits and the other apprentices; go to the elder's den. There's a passage at the very back you can all escape through. Head to SnowClan. They will help you."

"What? No! I have to stay and fight! I'm not a kit anymore, Shadowsky. Apprentices have to fight in battles or we won't learn anything," he protested.

"You will die if you stay here, Eaglepaw. Crimson's soldiers are not just a RisingClan border patrol raring for a border spat. These are trained killers. Find the others and _go_ ," Shadowsky ordered sharply. He didn't wait for another argument from his apprentice. Instead he leaped on a dull-pelted soldier, a growl rumbling in his throat.

Eaglepaw swallowed nervously, eyeing the way his mentor's claws cleaved through the soldier's throat without any hesitance. The blood spraying over the walls made his stomach heave. Shadowsky was right; this was no place for apprentices. But still there was an awful tugging to prove himself. If he could fight in this battle and come out alive Sparrowclaw might be proud of him. _Is it worth dying for?_

No.

He found Blackpaw, Runningpaw, and Robinpaw losing pitifully against a rogue soldier with a silver pelt. The way her lips curled over chipped, blood-dripping teeth was terrifying. It didn't stop him from pouncing on her back and digging his claws into the side of her head. "Follow me!" he yelled at the others, "I know a way out of here! Shadowsky wants us to get the kits and run."

Eaglepaw knew they were frightened when they agreed without protesting even a little. He jumped off the solider and sprinted across the camp hoping that the others were following closely. He still needed to find Wrenpaw. Her pretty dappled pelt wasn't hard to spot when it was pressed against two white cats. Not that they could really be called white, their fur was drenched in so much blood. She was struggling against them with all she had, hissing and spitting furiously. Most of her strikes hit but they weren't strong enough to do serious damage. Her assailants were just toying with her.

Runningpaw and Blackpaw took care of one of the soldiers. They were quite a pair, old enough to sort of know how to hold their own in a fight, but still young enough to be terrified. While one soldier was distracted Wrenpaw turned on the other with brutal claws, splashing more red across his pelt.

"Leave him, Wrenpaw! We've got to go before we die. Shadowsky wants us to get the kits and get out. I know a way. Come on!" he shouted at her, tugging lightly on her tail.

"Run? You want us to run?" Wrenpaw laughed in his face. "I always knew you were a coward, Eaglepaw, but deserting your Clan in the middle of a battle? That is a new low. You can leave but I am staying here where I should be."

He tugged harder. "You don't understand! These soldiers will kill you without a second thought!"

"Let them try," she snarled, pushed past him, and disappeared into the fray. Eaglepaw watched her go with an agonised expression. He couldn't go after her. He had to get to the kits.

"Leave her," he said to the others. "We have to get the kits."

The tunnel Shadowsky mentioned was small. Some warriors would not be able to fit through but for the shaken group of apprentices and kits it was just big enough. "Robinpaw, you go first. We'll send the kits down after you. Okay?"

"Alright."

Runningpaw was just scrambling into the tunnel when Eaglepaw felt a sharp tug on his tail, the familiar sensation of teeth pricking into his skin shooting up his spine. "Where do you think you are going?"

"I was told to get the other apprentices and the kits out, Sparrowclaw," he said, peering over his shoulder at his father. He was covered in blood, some his, most not. The expression on his face could only be described as thunderous.

"So instead of fighting for your Clan you are running away? How noble. Get back out there, Eaglepaw. Show me how much you have grown," Sparrowclaw practically ordered.

He wanted desperately to prove himself to his father, but his mentor had given him a task; refusing to complete it would mean disobeying his mentor and that he would not do. "I can't, I'm sorry. Shadowsky has told me to do this. I have no choice."

"That is not the right answer." He was picked up roughly by the scruff, Sparrowclaw hurrying them out of the elders den, back in the direction of the fighting.

Eaglepaw struggled in his grip. "No, stop! Put me down! I can't fight in this I'll die! _Stop!_ "

"Perhaps the best way for you to learn is on the brink of death," he growled.

"Please, stop! Why are you doing this!?"

"Because I will _not_ have a runt in my family."

It was too late. Sparrowclaw threw him into a soldier and left. Terrified Eaglepaw forget everything he had been taught. He gaped up at the tall soldier, fear sliding icily through his veins. Teeth bit into his side – another soldier taking advantage of his terror – and he was lifted up off the ground. He howled. Blood streamed out from around his attacker's teeth. They hit a bone, and it cracked. Eaglepaw saw stars. He hadn't realised he had been screaming until his throat felt raw.

"I can't believe they are sending kittens out to fight," one jeered. "They must really be desperate."

He had to do something. He had to _try_. Dying wouldn't do anyone any good. Twisting in the brutal grip Eaglepaw raked his claws down the tabby's face. They dropped him to yelp, only to lash out with a big paw. Their claws were bigger than his and they left a bigger mark behind, a horrendous gash down his spine as he tried to run away. He couldn't scream anymore. His throat wouldn't produce the sound.

They toyed with him, played with him like he was nothing. He _was_ nothing. This just proved everything he'd been trying hard not to think about. He would never be the pride and joy of his father. He just wasn't strong enough. Sparrowclaw had been right. Wrenpaw had been right. He was weak. He was going to die.

" _Leave him alone!_ " Shadowsky saved his life. Lying in a growing puddle of his own blood Eaglepaw watched his mentor rip into the soldiers that had been about to kill him. Breathing was difficult. It was starting to get a little dark. He stayed awake long enough to see his mentor scramble towards him, face pulled into a silent cry.

It took him a little over a moon to recover. Brambledrop visited daily, usually with her own little wounds. Robinpaw stopped by when she could. She called him brave for helping them escape. He didn't feel brave. Wrenpaw poked her head in the medicine cave only to tell him she'd been right. Sparrowclaw, surprisingly, came to see him. It was only to tell him that they would be training together as well. A last ditch effort, his father had called it. He was thankful his father wanted to help. Shadowsky begged him to say why he had ended up back in the fighting. Eaglepaw refused to tell anyone.

His first trip back out of the camp was wonderful. Shadowsky took him out to the oasis. In their spare time they'd been trying to teach each other how to catch the little tadpoles. So far they'd had no luck. Eaglepaw laughed a lot. He was more than grateful that Shadowsky was his mentor. It felt like he actually cared for him.

The good times came to an abrupt end.

Sparrowclaw took him out for their first training session on the second night. In the dark he pushed his son beyond his limits. Eaglepaw tried so hard, but his body was still sore and every time he was so much as shoved he was sent spiralling back to that day in the camp when he had nearly died. Their sessions continued and they got harder. Sparrowclaw wanted him to be a son he could be proud of – even if he had to beat it into him. The sessions stopped being training and started being beatings.

Eaglepaw told no one. He suffered in silence. Maybe his father would love him this way. He remembered what Brambledrop had said two moons ago. _"He does it because he loves us."_ He let it continue. He covered up the wounds with excuses. It was for love. His father loved him. That was just his way of showing it.

He was getting better at everything. Shadowsky was impressed. He gushed to the other mentors about how well his apprentice was doing. "I am so proud of him," he'd say. "He's come so far. I think he'll become a great warrior."

The fifth moon of his apprenticeship arrived. Each morning Eaglepaw went out by himself, running across the sand till his legs _burned_ , then he ran more. He would get stronger and he would show _everyone_ that he could be great. The mess that occurred during the attack would fade into the backs of everyone's minds. Sparrowclaw would be able to love him and be proud of him. Brambledrop wouldn't have to worry about her son dying. His sisters would treat him like a brother.

He wanted that so much.

"Do you understand why I am doing this?" Sparrowclaw snarled in his ear, pushing him harder against the ground.

"Yes, father."

He boxed Eaglepaw's head till it rang. "Do you understand that this will make you stronger?"

"Yes, father."

"Do you understand that I cannot have a weak son?"

"Yes, father."

The days blurred together. He repeated yes father each night while his body was bruised and his skin torn. Silently he trudged onwards. His warrior ceremony was in his sights. All he had to do was lay low, do what his father said, take his warrior name and then become greater than the cat that had beaten his love into him.

One night it went too far.

"I have a treat for us tonight." Sparrowclaw strode importantly into the cavern. Behind him were Brambledrop, Wrenpaw, and Robinpaw. "They wanted to see what we've been up to during our private sessions. They have also sworn to secrecy. Can't have our little training secrets getting out to everyone."

"No," Eaglepaw whispered hoarsely. He didn't want them to see him at his lowest. They didn't need to see it. "No, please don't."

"Do you understand why they have to see?"

It was like he'd reached into the back of Eaglepaw's mind and changed something. "Yes, father."

"Good. Shall we begin?"

They started like they always did: Sparrowclaw shouted out battle moves and Eaglepaw did them without hesitation. They did that till his body ached. Then they moved on to where it got dangerous. They sparred. Like all their spars it started out innocent, sheathed claws and light blows. But like every night it grew to a point where Sparrowclaw snapped and blood was drawn. Eaglepaw had learned to give up straight away, let his father do what he needed to show his love. He never expected anyone to step in and stop it.

" _Sparrowclaw!_ That is your son!" Brambledrop howled.

Opening his eyes a little Eaglepaw saw his mother on her paws advancing on her mate with horror in her eyes. Robinpaw looked shocked, and sick. Wrenpaw just looked pleased. The weight on his side grew heavier, his father's claws hooking deeper.

"Stay over there, Brambledrop. I said I'd show you how I'd changed our son, didn't I? This is how. Are you proud? It worked on you didn't it? So I assumed it would work on your son as well. I was right," Sparrowclaw growled.

"No. I won't let you do this. He doesn't deserve this. He's too good, too pure," she whispered.

Sparrowclaw barked out harsh laughter. "What do my daughters think? Robinpaw, Wrenpaw?"

"I, uh, this isn't right..." Robinpaw stammered. "You can't beat him. That's...that's not right."

Wrenpaw's grin was sick. "He deserves it. He tried to abandon his Clan during a battle. Beat him all you want. Maybe you'll beat a little bravery into him.

"I always knew you were the smarter one, Wrenpaw," Sparrowclaw purred.

Eaglepaw pretended he wasn't crying.

"No, I have done nothing to stop your despicable behaviour for moons but this is where I draw the line. Beating your son is beyond evil. Let him go," Brambledrop stepped closer.

"Mother, mother stop." Eaglepaw wriggled until he could look at her properly. He gave her a watery smile. "He does it because he loves me."

Her face dropped into a horrified gape. The words she thought had been a harmless lie had put her sweet, innocent son directly in harm's way. "Sweetheart, no, this is not what real love is. This is a lie. He...your father isn't showing you love."

"You thought this was love!?" Sparrowclaw shouted gleefully. "You thought I was beating you because I loved you? Oh you are more stupid than I _ever_ thought. I don't love you, Eaglepaw. I don't even care for you. All I am trying to do is make sure I have a relatively strong son in case the litter Gingerspot's is carrying doesn't have a son. Do you understand why I had to do this?"

"Yes, father."

"Eaglepaw, don't let him turn you into something you are not!" Brambledrop cried out.

"Do you understand why I could never love you?"

"Yes, father."

A new scent drifted into the training cave. "Someone better start explaining what is going on right now before I go fetch Darkbreeze." Shadowsky bared his teeth at a startled Sparrowclaw. "Care to tell me why you are pinning my apprentice down? Why you're beating your son?"

"This has nothing to do with you," Sparrowclaw spat. He didn't unhook his claws from Eaglepaw. "Turn around and leave."

Shadowsky snorted and padded into the cave. "This has everything to do with me. My apprentice does not deserve this kind of treatment."

"Your apprentice would not be as good as he is if I had not been doing this!"

"Let him go," Shadowsky said calmly. "Let him go and I will make sure Darkbreeze does not exile you when I tell her."

Sparrowclaw barrelled into Shadowsky with a mighty bellow. "You won't be telling Darkbreeze anything!"

Frozen in place by his father's words Eaglepaw watched the two important father figures in his life fight over him. He didn't want this. No one needed to get hurt because of him. Sparrowclaw had only been doing this to help him, because he loved him. What he'd said before had just been a ruse. He had been pretending to look strong in front of Brambledrop and his daughters. They couldn't know that he loved his weak son. So he'd lied. Sparrowclaw loved him. His father loved him.

"Shadowsky," Eaglepaw called out. "Stop. He loves me."

His mentor looked over at him with his dull coloured eyes. Sparrowclaw took that lapse in attention to sink his teeth into Shadowsky's neck and rip his throat out. His body hit the ground with a thud. His blood seeped towards Eaglepaw.

He thought it would hurt to watch his mentor die. He thought it might awaken something inside him, might break him free of this strange hold his father had over him. But instead he felt nothing. He was cold. His bruises hurt. Shadowsky was gone and he could not bring himself to shed even a tear.

Brambledrop knocked Sparrowclaw over with a hoarse shout. "I am not asking you to stop anymore. I am _demanding_ you stop. Darkbreeze will hear about this. You will be exiled."

The moment Sparrowclaw's blow struck Brambledrop that thing Eaglepaw had been waiting for happened. He was bigger now, stronger. Sure he wasn't as big as his father but he wasn't a weak little kit anymore. So when he saw his mother splash into the puddle Shadowsky's gaping throat was creating he leapt at Sparrowclaw without a single doubt in his mind. Hurting his mentor was one thing. Hurting his mother was another.

They scuffled like they usually did. Sparrowclaw had the upper paw like usual. He had more experience in these things. But Eaglepaw had witnessed every one of Sparrowclaw's little techniques during their night time sessions. He knew what his father would do before he even did it. When Sparrowclaw rose up on his hindlegs to put lash out at Eaglepaw's head, Eaglepaw charged straight into his stomach.

He pinned Sparrowclaw down, a position that was reminiscent of all the nights he had spent under his father's paw. "I don't want to kill you. You're my father, and I love you. I know that you love me otherwise you wouldn't have done all this. You love me. You do. I'm your son and you're proud of me. Okay?"

"I could never be proud of you!" Sparrowclaw snarled.

"That's okay. If lying makes you feel better then that's okay. You have to go. Darkbreeze will kill you for what you've done; you know how bad her temper is. I won't tell her how you decided to love me, but I will tell her what you did to Shadowsky. You do love me. I know you do."

"What makes you think I'll just leave!?

Eaglepaw smiled through the dampness in his eyes. "Because I know how much your reputation means to you. To watch it crumble would kill you. So I'm letting you go."

"Go, Sparrowclaw. You are not welcome here anymore," Brambledrop hissed. "PhoenixClan does not need warriors like you."

"Fine. Send Darkbreeze my regards," Sparrowclaw spat.

Eaglepaw didn't tell a soul about Sparrowclaw and his love. The Clan never found out about his murder of Shadowsky. He couldn't bring himself to drag his father's name through the mud. Brambledrop spun a fancy lie. Soldiers had killed Shadowsky, then imprisoned Sparrowclaw and taken him away. They had gotten there too late to save him. The Clan was saddened by the loss of two great warriors, but they moved on. Time moved on. No one spoke about what they had seen in the training cave that night. Brambledrop tried, she tried so hard to get through to her son, to convince him that the love his father had shown him was not love at all but Eaglepaw would not listen or talk about it. Wrenpaw martyred her father. He was a hero in her eyes. His treatment of his son had been just. Robinpaw abandoned her name. She took up Sparrowpaw in honour of her father, and she stopped talking to Eaglepaw. It was easier for her to move on by forgetting that night ever happened.

His warrior ceremony came on his sixth moon of being an apprentice. Eaglepaw became Eaglestrike, for his bravery, and for his heart. He never forgot the things that happened, and as he grew older he began to realise that his mother had been right. Sparrowclaw's love had been wrong. But it had been all he ever wanted.

Eaglestrike raised his head at the sounds of shouting coming from outside the willow leaves. The scent of blood reached his nose. Amory burst into sight, Sunrise limp on his shoulders, face covered in red. He made no attempt to see to her. That was Amory's duty now. Instead he let his attention linger on Amory.

He would prove himself worthy. This time everyone _would_ see how great he could be.

* * *

 _an: so that happened._


	24. Chapter Twenty-Four: Unveiled

**Chapter Twenty-Four: Unveiled**

Cyrith lazed in the full eye of the sun, basking in its weak leaf-bare heat. He looked very content, eyes shut tight and sides rising in a peaceful way. In fact he almost looked young, and innocent – not the awful creature that had burned her home. He hadn't noticed her silent approach, far too lost in his sunhigh snooze. So she had taken her time, careful with her paws, watching this strange cat lounging in what had once been her home. There was no point in trying to kill him. He was immortal. He'd just get right back up again and laugh at her. Her nose wrinkled. _Arrogant foxheart._

He wasn't a very big cat. She probably stood a little taller than him. There wasn't much muscle rippling beneath his pelt. He was thin, and sleek. Not exactly the picture of an immortal being. At first glance she'd bet an apprentice could beat him in a normal fight. But then he'd broken through the mountain walls and she'd seen firsthand just what he was capable of when brought to the ground by angry apprentices. Spottedpaw rotted beneath the ground with a slit in her pretty throat thanks to him.

She was so angry at him for the pain he and his kin had caused the Clans. But there was nothing she could do. He was stronger than her. He could set her on fire and watch her burn with that lazy grin of his.

"I know you're there," he said, voice thick with sleep. Cyrith didn't shift, nor did he open his eyes. But his words dangled between them. She could turn and run, pretend she had never snuck back down in the valley. No one would know.

"Surprised to see me down here again?" Her reply was cool and calm. She had made up her mind. This she would do for the Clans. Her acting was flawless.

He flicked open an amber eye, mouth pulling into a grin. "Not really. There aren't many who can resist my charm." Rolling onto his front he pulled himself into a stretch, sighing at the feeling of muscles tugging and bones popping. "You wouldn't be the first and I doubt you'll be the last."

"You're a bit full of yourself, aren't you?" she snorted, watching him slowly come back to alertness.

"If I wasn't would you be more interested in my dashing good looks?" His grin was cheeky and his eyes twinkled.

She rolled her eyes and shoved him when he drew too close – that cheeky grin was setting butterflies scattering in her stomach. It was awful. It was brilliant. It was something she hadn't felt till a day she'd seen an old enemy as anything but. She missed it. It was still sort of there when she looked at him, when he spoke to her, when he curled around her in the cold of the night, but it was dulled; too often she found his words whispering in her ear. _Murderer._ Their eyes were similar, though Cyrith's looked more like a dim flame. Nothing else about them was the same. She couldn't blame it on that. Maybe she was just acting out, a plea for his attention to be focused solely on her and not the awful state of the Clans. The stories a weak elder had told of love were grand and beautiful, and nothing like the love she had now. It was just as frail as that elder, rotting from the inside, crumbling before their very eyes. Did he even care?

He was saying something, the fire-coloured tom in front of her. There was a slight concern amongst the orange of his eyes. "Hey, you okay? Oi, don't ignore me, Snowy."

 _That_ snapped her back to the present. "Snowy?" she snorted, "really?"

"If we have nicknames it makes what we're doing a little less strange." His answer made little sense. There wasn't much about him that did make sense. Their meetings didn't make sense. Three times she'd been down here now. Each time she greeted him with the same words. Each time she waited for him to kill her. It felt like she was being strung along; drawn into his strange little world, just to be killed when he felt the moment was right.

"What are we doing?"

It was a loaded question.

His grin wilted a little. "We're helping our kin, aren't we? Ferreting out information from each other whilst we pretend to be friends? They'll call you a hero if it works, which it won't. Ice'll just call me stupid for pretending this could be anymore than a lie."

Cyrith was surprisingly morose when he wanted to be.

Needing to steer the conversation back into safer waters 'Snowy' blurted, "So your charm has worked on many she-cats then?"

The way he snapped back into his mischievous, cocky self was comforting. "Toms too. My charm is available to all. It's a finely tuned weapon, taken years to perfect."

"A weapon? Don't be ridiculous."

Cyrith slunk into the spindly, dying trees. He glanced over his shoulder and beckoned her with a jerk of his head. "How many cats do you think I've drawn away into the shadows with sweet words?" His eyes were dark. "We all have our ways of fighting, Snowy. Luring love struck idiots to their death is mine."

"Is that what I am then? A love struck idiot?" Snowy murmured, stalking past him. She made sure her tail flicked him across the nose. "Are you luring me into the shadows? How are you going to kill me? Burn me alive while you watch impassively? Wait for your friends to find me and finish the job?"

"Oh no, sweetheart. You're too smart for tricks like that. Why you are here is a mystery, and why you are still alive is an even greater one. Maybe I like your company more than I should. Maybe I'm just entertaining your fantasy," he purred silkily.

"What fantasy?"

"The one where you take all the information you've stripped from me back to your Clans and are hailed a hero," he whispered in her ear. "Let me tell you a secret, Snowy. They are never going to call you a hero. All you and your friends will ever be to those Clans you so desperately cling to is a bunch of runaways."

They stuck mainly to SnowClan's territory. Cyrith had made it explicitly clear how dangerous it was to stray too close to WaveClan. There Ice lived, and she knew within a heartbeat when a stranger had stepped foot in her domain. She and Wind crossed into each other's homes fairly regularly; Wind enjoyed the feeling of her element howling around her as she stood on the edge of the cliffs, and Ice found the desolation of RisingClan's old home beautiful. Earth watched over RogueClan's swamp. His anger he took out on PhoenixClan's barren desert. Cyrith had laid his claim to SnowClan's lands. He said the peacefulness was soothing. It didn't excuse the mess he had created of it. He claimed all the damage had been done during their siege, that he hadn't let a single ember touch the ground since then. She didn't know if she could believe him.

Snowy found it strange that these immortals, who had spent seasons with each other, lived separately. Cyrith told her it was a defensive mechanism. "Sharing a single task does not make us a family. Forcing us to spend too much time with each other would cause wars that would tear this world apart."

Now they walked in silence through the burnt remains of SnowClan's home. Life was slowly beginning to return to it, fragile seedlings poking their way through the ash, and the faintest scent of prey on the breeze. Snow had fallen higher up in the territory, a cold blanket that hid the scars. It was making her miss the old days terrible. Wherever she looked she could see the ghosts of her old life frolicking in a land yet to be burned. The memories of her younger moons filled her heart with a warm feeling; they also made the scar on her stomach tingle.

"Do you know much about that Shadowstalker your Clans have?" Cyrith broke the soft silence with even softer words. It was like this whenever they spoke about things that should be kept secret: his kin, her Clans, what would happen when Ice decided it was time for the Clanners to die, their weaknesses.

Snowy leaned down to nuzzle a patch of pretty yellow flowers. "I do, I raised her."

"She's your daughter?" The surprise was far too obvious in his voice.

"No," she laughed, "she's Crimson's daughter. Tornheart found her in the mountain while we were busy with Crimson. We've looked after her ever since."

Cyrith scrunched up his nose and refused to look at her. "So she's important to you then?"

"Very. I won't let you four kill her," she growled.

There was something in his eyes when he looked at her that terrified her. "She cannot be allowed to live. The world is not built contain Elementals and Shadowstalkers at the same time; the power that runs through them is too strong."

She snorted. "Well we've survived so far, haven't we? There's nothing wrong with her, Cyrith. Trust me; I'm keeping an eye on her."

He just shrugged and moved away from the flowers. "It's not that I do not trust you with her," Cyrith murmured. "Is it because I do not trust her with you."

"Why?"

"I've been alive long enough to have met many Shadowstalkers. They all start out innocent and loyal to their families. But the price to pay for having that power is to be alone. Killing is their instinct, Snowy, it's all they know. They are drawn to it. We've seen it happen over and over. You can't trust her." His voice was rough.

Snowy stared at the side of his face. He still wasn't looking at her. "And why should I trust a word you say?"

"I like your company. I'd hate for our time together to be cut short because you let your guard down around a murderer," he purred with a wide grin.

"There's no need for you to worry then. She's not a murderer."

Cyrith just sighed and their walk came to a stop. Though the borders had long since lost the thick scent of their respective Clan, the Elemental still seemed to be able to tell where SnowClan's thick forest became RogueClan's swamp. He was always on edge there, back uncomfortably straight, body taut, ears flicking to and fro, his eyes never settling on one spot for too long. The tension between him and the other Elementals was ridiculous. They were a team. Hating each other would only end in disaster. She wrinkled her nose; it worked to her advantage if they disliked each other and were dysfunctional. Why would she care for how they felt?

They were monsters.

"Sometimes I worry about Earth catching you, or Wind," Cyrith said quietly.

Weren't they?

"They won't," she replied. "I know how to get back to the path as quickly and as safely as possible."

"Doesn't mean I stop worrying."

She purred and bumped the side of his neck with her head, ignoring the uncomfortable racing of her heart. "I'll be fine, I always am."

Cyrith blinked a few times, then cleared his throat and shuffled his paws. "Uh, well. Is Amory still bothering you?" he stumbled over his words.

"He's not bothering me on purpose. It's just...I have this bad feeling about him. There's something really strange about a loner coming in with a heap of followers and just taking command of six Clans without a struggle. I want them all to come home, Cyrith. We've lived in this valley for generations. It's where we belong. But they're all so against it because _he_ doesn't want to," Snowy spat.

His laugh rumbled near her ear, quiet and smooth. "At the moment it makes sense that he doesn't want to come back to the valley. We do currently occupy it. You weren't here when we first arrived. The damage we did was enough to leave scars deep in the memories of your Clan mates. Wind's treatment of RisingClan was horrifying, even for me."

"But you won't be here forever."

The silence that spread between them was thick and felt awful.

"It's time for you to go," Cyrith said. His breathing quickened and a flame appeared with each exhale.

Snowy flattened her ears. "Wait, Cyrith, I didn't mean it like that."

"I said," he growled rounding on her with those fire-filled eyes, "it is time for you to go. Try not to die on the way back. I'm sure your Clan would _really_ miss you."

His comment stung harder than it should have. She curled her lip and hissed at him with every bit of the anger flooding through her veins, "Maybe next time I'll bring Sunrise with me so you can meet our Shadowstalker face-to-face."

Whatever Cyrith opened his mouth to say he never got the chance to. The look on Snowy's face snapped it shut with a clack. Hurt. She was hurt and she was angry. Before he could reach out to purr into her ear she'd stepped into Earth's land, leaping on top of a fallen tree. As soon as she jumped down the other side he wouldn't be able to see her.

But she paused. Her biting tone inflicted pain he could not heal. "Since this little 'lie' we're entertaining is us supposedly gathering information about weaknesses, I'll tell you mine." She met his gaze and everything about her was cold. "His name is Willowclaw." Then she was gone.

Icepetal was pacing – again. It was late, the moon starting to dip back towards the horizon, cold stars winking in the velvet sky. Yet she was still wide awake. Or, rather, her mind was wide awake, her body was protesting furiously; her eyes burned with each blink and her movements were sluggish. But no matter how much she wanted to sleep her mind just refused to. It wasn't even focusing on one thing; it was just aimlessly flitting around pointless things that had occurred. She sat down facing the valley and let out a grumpy huff. Stars help whoever decided to get on her nerves in the morning.

The valley was changing. She wasn't sure if anybody else had noticed it, or if they even cared, but she had. Her paws no longer slid into familiar paths when she ventured down to see him, the land shifting each night. PhoenixClan's desert could hardly be called that anymore. Though it was nothing more than a brown smudge in the distance she could tell that the great sandy dunes were disappearing. Where they were going she didn't know, but they were slowly vanishing. RisingClan's land sloped a little more harshly that it used to, and sudden drops were appearing, like cliffs waiting to be born. Deep gashes in the land were forming and steadily travelling closer to the river. The land was changing. Their home was changing.

She tilted her head back to gaze into the endless night sky. Was StarClan aware of the changing valley? Did they care at all? Eaglestrike had said he'd been trying to get in contact with Littleflame and the others, but that there had been only silence from them. Convincing the Clans to become four would be much easier if StarClan would just show their starry faces.

"Sorry I kept you awake for so long," a soft voice said.

Icepetal twitched an ear in complete disbelief of what she was hearing. There was no way he was standing behind her. Her mouth ran dry, her words sticking in the back of her throat. The thud of her heart was quick and frantic. She'd never thought she would hear him again, not so soon after they'd left him. Twisting her head she glanced over her shoulder to stare at a shaggy-furred tom grinning widely at her, pale green eyes crinkling at the corners.

"Rainpatch." The name left her mouth in a whisper, like a prayer uttered in a moment of silence. "It can't be you."

He nodded his head. "It's me, Icepetal. I've missed you."

She pounced on him, giggling like a kit, desperate to just breathe in his familiar scent and feel his heart beat beneath her ear. They rolled over on the grass, batting at each other with playful paws, just basking in the chance to finally see each other again. "I've missed you," she whispered into his fur when they came to a stop, "I've missed you so much. Why'd you have to go, Rainpatch? Why'd you leave?" Her voice cracked and they both pretended they hadn't heard it.

"Sometimes our lives are shorter than we think, and when we're called to leave we can't say no," he answered quietly.

"I'm sorry we weren't there, that you were alone."

He shook his head and reached up a paw to touch her shoulder. "I wasn't alone. Littleflame was with me. We did it though." He shifted her head to look her in the eye, "we killed Crimson and saved the world. Doesn't that make you feel a little bit special? It makes me feel great. When Heathersky finally joins me I won't be able to stop bragging. She'll get sick of all the great stories I'll have to tell."

Icepetal's stomach dropped. "You didn't get to come home, Rainpatch. You didn't get to see your family." There was no point in pretending the tears weren't there. "It was the only thing you wanted and you _didn't_ get it!"

"Hey, hey." Rainpatch prodded her cheek with a cold nose. "You can't focus on that. It'll ruin the rest of your life if you only focus on the bad. Yes, I was upset for a while that I would never get have that family I always wanted. But –" he glanced over at the willow leaves – "I sort of did get it. I can watch them grow. Then, when they come join me, I can tell them all about the great things I did with my strange, adopted family; and I can tell them about the battle that took me away. I'll make myself sound like a mighty hero. Rainpatch, saviour of the city!"

"I bet the city will be talking about you for seasons," she laughed.

His chuckle filled her with warmth. "They'll be talking about _us_ for seasons. You, Eaglestrike, Littleflame, and me; Shatteredlight too, and Lathai, Apollo. Yikes there were quite a few of us."

"Maybe Willowclaw could have saved you," she murmured.

"I don't think his attention would have been on me," Rainpatch purred. "He's entirely wrapped up in you."

Icepetal shifted a little. "What do you think of Sunrise?"

"She's far too young to be dealing with all this strangeness. Elementals? Shadowstalker? Weird. Very weird. I don't really understand it all. She's a lovely she-cat, nothing like her mother. I hope you're teaching her all sorts of mischievous things that uncle Rainpatch would approve of," he said with a grin.

"I try," Icepetal shoved him as she got up. "But Tornheart takes up most of her time. Training and stuff. Must be hard having a dangerous power to control." She sighed and leant against him once he'd shuffled into a sitting position. "Why have you decided to come visit me tonight?"

Rainpatch's grin fell into a serious expression, and his ears flicked back. "Sunrise is part of the reason. It's hard for us to visit you. StarClan's power isn't as strong as it used to be. The belief of the living gives us strength. It's why we can't do what Eaglestrike wants. But there are things happening, Icepetal, things you need to know about."

"So you're going to tell me then?"

"No. You are going to see for yourself. Why would I make it that easy?" he said.

Icepetal scowled at him. "Because you love me. So what, you kept me up all night just to tell me to keep my eyes open for something weird? Wow, thanks."

He broke away from her side and wandered over to the edge of the basin, his body fading with every step. With a paw dangling over empty air he looked at her over his shoulder. "I watch you. I watch all of you, and I'm concerned with the things you are all doing. These adventures down into the valley, the meet-ups with that Elemental...I just hope you know what you are doing."

For some reason hearing Rainpatch mention her meeting Cyrith made her feel so very guilty about it. When he stepped out into open air, his form rapidly fading away, she realised that he was leaving once again.

"No, wait," she whispered. "Don't go."

His smile was sad. "We'll see each other again, Icepetal."

Before she could feel any sort of sadness at having to see him leave again there was the sound of rustling leaves and quiet paw steps. Icepetal shrunk close to the ground, slowly moving till she could see whoever was up as late as her. They were small, not a warrior, and sticking completely to the shadows, heading for a dark corner of the basin. She waited for them to vanish entirely before she followed, keeping low and silent. Buried deep in the shadows looking almost like the wall of the basin was a pathway. It was thin, and small, easily missed. Still, Icepetal was confused as to how no one had come across it. Twitching an ear she glanced back at the exit of the basin where two Nobles sat on guard.

"Maybe this is what Rainpatch was talking about," she muttered. "Happened rather quick didn't it?"

The full brunt of leaf bare wind hit Icepetal as she emerged from the hidden path back onto the route stamped out through the trees by countless patrols. Leaf bare on the mountain was proving to be extremely cold. Whoever had been sneaking out had vanished from sight but their scent still lingered. She stiffened when she realised who the scent belonged to. _What is she doing out of the basin so late?_

Following quietly she was lead away from the basin, and the valley, towards the deeper parts of their territory; down into the thicker mountain forests. It was difficult enough trying to traverse the cliffs during the day, but at night it was near impossible. Icepetal's heart spent more time in her throat than in her chest. A claw was torn out when she slipped, catching in a crack, her shout of pain masked by a bitten lip. She was going to throttle them when she finally caught up.

The blush of dawn was beginning to show when Icepetal finally caught up with the escapee cat. Crouched low, hidden by a shield of patchy bracken, she watched them stalk an oblivious rabbit. It was a thin rabbit, more bone than skin, but it would feed the queens. Sneaking out to hunt seemed stupid. If she was caught Amory would have their tail. So why else would she be sneaking out of the camp late at night via a secret path? They moved and Icepetal snapped back to attention. There was little space between them and the rabbit now, the hunter concealed by their dark pelt. Yet they did not drop lower to prepare for a pounce, they just focused intently on the rabbit, eyes glinting in the failing moonlight.

Icepetal was just about to make her presence known by catching the rabbit herself when it made a strangled shrieking sound. Caught off-guard Icepetal could only watch with a horrified expression as a thin river of blood flowed from the rabbit's nose and mouth and floated in the air, dangling above the terrified creature. The hunter stepped into the rabbit's view and it scrabbled weakly at the ground, bounding forwards a few steps before it tumbled over and shuddered. A spot on its throat burst open, even more blood flooding out into the air. It flowed towards the cat, morphing into little balls, hanging above their head. The rabbit gave a final, quiet cry before it died.

"What the heck was that," Icepetal snapped, crashing through the bracken. "You better have a good explanation for whatever I just witnessed, Sunrise."

Sunrise blinked dumbly and the floating blood threaded its way slowly back to the ground. "Uh...hi, Icepetal. What are you doing out here?"

"Oh no don't you try to shift this away from you. What were you doing to that rabbit? _How_ did you do that?" she demanded.

"It's not that I don't want to tell you," Sunrise mumbled. "It's that I don't really know how to."

"Well if you're going to be like that then we are going back to the basin and I am getting the others to talk about this," Icepetal snapped, whipping around so fast her vision wobbled for a heartbeat.

Sunrise let out a loud cry, "no! Please no, Icepetal! Don't bring the others into this they don't need to know. Can't we just keep this between us?! I'm not doing anything bad with it, I promise."

"I know what happened to Hope, Sunrise. So tell me again how you aren't going to do anything bad with it. The others need to know about this so we can keep you safe. If the Clans find out they'll send you away," she explained. "Let's go."

They walked back in an awful silence. Icepetal couldn't get the image of that blood flowing through the air. The way it had almost been _pulled_ out of the rabbit's body was so horrifying it made a shiver skitter down her spine. Casting a quick glance over her shoulder she saw Sunrise padding sullenly behind her, head down, ears flat against her head. There was a slight tinge of fear scent coming from her. She felt a little bad about scaring Sunrise but that kind of strange power couldn't go unnoticed. Tornheart needed to know about it, so did Willowclaw and Eaglestrike.

Back in the basin – they'd snuck in via the hidden path – the dawn patrol was gathering to leave. Lucky for Icepetal no one she wanted was on it. "Stay here," she said to Sunrise, leaving the apprentice by the remains of the nursery.

Eaglestrike was awake and looked awful: his fur was scruffy, his eyes haunted. He stared up at her when she approached him. "I need to talk to you and the others. It's about Sunrise."

"Shouldn't you be taking that up with her mentor?" he spat bitterly.

If her eyes had rolled any harder they would have vanished into her skull. "Look I don't know why Amory took over Sunrise's training but this affects the Chosen, not him. So get up and get outside before I drag you there myself."

He held her gaze for a brief moment before he nodded and shuffled slowly to his paws. "You want me to get Tornheart?" he asked through a yawn.

"Arrow too if he's with her. He might as well hear this too, he's close to Sunrise," Icepetal answered already making her way over to where Willowclaw was still sleeping.

Stretched out beside his brother he looked very adorable asleep. His usual scowl was replaced with a content look of blankness. A little sad that she had to interrupt his peaceful slumber she poked him in the side until he grumbled angrily and peeked open a slither of his eye. "What do you want?" he slurred.

"I've gathered the others. We need to talk about Sunrise," she said quietly, "I caught her outside of the basin during the night."

Still half asleep Willowclaw rolled onto his back with a loud groan. "So? Does that mean we all need to have an intervention?"

"No, you goof. I caught her doing what she did to Hope to a rabbit," Icepetal whispered, cautious of Singe sleeping very close by.

"Oh no."

"Oh yes. Come on, get up."

"Alright I'm up, I'm up."

Outside Sunrise looked very scared surrounded by confused, tired, grumpy warriors. She looked up when Icepetal and Willowclaw got close and frowned. Icepetal arched a brow and frowned back.

"Can you explain why we're all out here so early?" Eaglestrike grouched.

"Can you give me a moment to sit down?" Icepetal retorted.

Tornheart sighed. "Icepetal, just tell us."

"Yeah, I had to leave my warm nest for this," Arrow moaned.

"I caught Sunrise sneaking out of camp pretty late last night. So I followed her. When I found her it looked like she was just doing some excessive hunting practice late at night when she really shouldn't be. But instead of killing the rabbit she somehow pulled all the blood out of its body and made it hover above her." Icepetal scrunched up her face, "I don't really know how to explain it. It's happened before, hasn't it, Sunrise?"

She shrugged, "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Fine, if you're going to be like that then I'll tell everyone. Willowclaw already knows any way. Sunrise is responsible for Hope's death. What she did to the rabbit she did to Hope, and Eaglestrike knew about it. Didn't you?" Icepetal hissed at him.

"I knew. I found her the night Hope died covered in Hope's blood," Eaglestrike growled. "I did what I had to do to protect her. Sunrise _promised_ me she wouldn't use her blood power again. Clearly she lied."

"You just expected me to forget I had it!?" Sunrise protested.

Tornheart interrupted, "what can you do with this blood power? Draw the blood out of other's bodies?"

"Yes. It works a little like my shadow power. All I have to do is think what I want the blood to do and it does it, most of the time anyway. It's a little stubborn," Sunrise muttered.

"Wait, you've been practising this power?" Eaglestrike exclaimed. "You promised me you wouldn't use it again!"

Sunrise wrinkled her nose, glaring at him. "I can't just ignore it. I can feel everyone's blood all the time. I can hear all your hearts beating, all the blood rushing through your veins. I'd like to see you try to ignore this."

"It's that strong? Sunrise, why didn't you tell anyone?" Arrow said.

"I did! I told Eaglestrike and he told me to keep it a secret."

Tornheart sighed, "You should have come to me, Sunrise. I could have helped you control it before you killed Hope."

"I didn't know I had it till I killed Hope," she whispered.

Willowclaw, who had been holding his temper for as long as he could, whirled on Eaglestrike with an angry snarl. "Why didn't you tell anyone!? This is something we all should have been told about. Sunrise needs our help not our silence. She needed someone to talk to after she killed Hope, and you told her she couldn't tell anyone."

Sunrise murmured something under her breath.

"What was that?" Tornheart leaned down.

"I said –" Sunrise made eye contact with Eaglestrike and he flinched at the hurt in her face – "I did not kill Hope."

Arrow looked downright confused. "Then who did?"

"I might have been the one to injure her badly but Eaglestrike was the one who threw her off the cliff."

There was a brief moment of stunned silence before Willowclaw unleashed a mighty snarl and smacked Eaglestrike's head so hard with his paw so hard that it knocked him over. He stood over Eaglestrike, face twisted by rage, claws poised by his throat. "You killed my brother's last kit. You threw her off a cliff and then told no one. How dare you. How dare you keep that secret? If you weren't needed to complete StarClan's task I would kill you right now."

Eaglestrike shoved Willowclaw away and sat up. "Like you can talk about keeping secrets. You still haven't told anyone, have you?"

"This isn't about you and Willowclaw," Icepetal hissed. "This is about Sunrise and her power. Stop arguing like kits."

"Oh?" The grin on Eaglestrike's face was unsettling. "So you haven't told them?"

"Told us what, Eaglestrike? We know everything about Willowclaw. You were there when Sitara told us he worked for Crimson. So what? He was abandoned and then he helped us kill her." Icepetal looked bored. "I don't blame him for being brought up by commanders in Crimson's army."

Tornheart stared down at Eaglestrike. "I know what you are about to say, and I ask you to not say it. Please."

Eaglestrike took no notice of her plea. He was looking at Icepetal, and he was still looking at her, dead in the eye, when he said, "Willowclaw killed your mother."

* * *

 _an: oop there it is._


	25. Chapter Twenty-Five: Loss

**Chapter Twenty-Five: Loss**

There was a very brief moment of confused silence. Everyone looked at Eaglestrike like he was crazy, the words spilling from his mouth nothing more than the ramblings of someone that had lost their mind. Then the eyes travelled slowly to Willowclaw, because it almost made sense. Long ago he had served Crimson, done everything she'd said without asking why, and they all knew it had been soldiers who'd killed Icepetal's mother. Willowclaw felt like shrinking under their gazes. He knew he was guilty, and everyone else was about to know as well.

Icepetal puffed out a quiet laugh. "Don't be stupid, Eaglestrike, he wouldn't have done that. He would have told me if he had." He hated looking at her light smile knowing that he would have to break it when he told her Eaglestrike was telling the truth. Why had he kept it a secret so long? He should have told her the moment they left the mountain. It would have been easier then. Now...now he didn't know what was going to happen.

"Why would I lie about this? What do I have to gain from making this up?" Eaglestrike spat.

Arrow's ears were flicked back, his eyes darting from his mate to Icepetal. "He sort of has a point."

"Oh don't agree with him," Icepetal snorted. "You'll only inflate his ego. Go on, Willowclaw, tell everyone he's lying."

His silence did not help. His mouth refused to spit out the words resting heavily on his tongue, choking him. Lies, excuses, he couldn't think of them. The truth was all that was left and it physically hurt to drag it up his throat. When he looked at Icepetal she was staring back at him, expression slowly falling into a twisted sort of sadness, and disbelief. He was supposed to love her with all his heart and here he was about to break hers into pieces.

"Willowclaw?" she mumbled. "It's not true...right?"

He opened his mouth and what he'd tried to keep hidden fell out. "It's true."

"No, you're just trying to make the joke last longer." Icepetal's laugh was forced. "Stop it, it's not funny anymore."

"I'm not joking, Icepetal. What Eaglestrike said is true. I killed your mother," he said miserably.

Tornheart jabbed Eaglestrike roughly in the side when he opened his mouth to say something. He frowned at her as he shifted back onto his paws and had the decency to look a little bad about what he'd done. They watched as Icepetal fought to say something, as her throat worked around bitter words she wanted to throw about the stupid joke they were playing. But the look of sadness on Willowclaw's face told her that this was not a joke. They were not messing around. Her eyes flicked to his paws where hidden away were claws stained with her mother's blood. A choked noise escaped.

"How? Why?" was all she managed to say.

"It was the first time Crimson had sent me away from the mountain to put what I had been learning into practice. I wasn't very old, maybe nine moons? The cats I were with were a Commander and elites, they were going to settle a deal that had been made with a Clan warrior. Apparently the warrior had sold out a loner hiding out just below the mountains. Our duty was to convince them to join us..or kill them if they refused. We didn't know who they were or that they were a queen nursing kits. The elites went in first to make sure it wasn't a trap. They found the Clan warrior escaping with some kits. We went in next to speak with the loner. She refused to join us, so the Commander ordered I kill her," Willowclaw explained softly.

Icepetal looked shocked. "Why did you do it? Why did you kill her? You saw she had kits!"

"Back then I lived to serve Crimson. Every command she gave me I carried out without a second thought. When the Commander told me it was my duty I did it. I'm not proud of it, Icepetal. I hate knowing that I was the one that tore you away from you mother. I'm so sorry."

"But you kept this all to yourself," she murmured, eyes cold. "You've known about this for moons yet you never told me. Were you just expecting to get away with this? Did you hope I never found out about this!?"

"Yes. I had hoped you would ever find out. I was going to tell you but you were so happy to be finally going home that I just couldn't bring myself to do it. I'm sorry, Icepetal," he sighed.

"I'm not sure whether to be angry or sad." Willowclaw jerked his head up to meet her awfully blank gaze. "We're supposed to trust each other, and you were going to keep this a secret for the rest of our lives."

He could feel his heart pounding. "I know what I did was wrong. I'm so sorry, I really am. There's nothing I want more than to take it back. I hate what I did because of Crimson."

"Sorry won't bring my mother back!" Icepetal shouted. "Sorry doesn't change the fact that you murdered her and planned to keep it a secret until I died. That's not love, Willowclaw!"

Tornheart nudged Icepetal gently. "What Willowclaw did when he was Crimson's champion was awful but he knew nothing else. He was bred to serve her. He had no idea who your mother was when he was commanded by his superiors to kill her. Please keep that in mind."

"Then he should have told me!"

"Would it have made a difference?" Tornheart asked.

"It might have if I had been able to hear the truth from Willowclaw, not Eaglestrike. Or am I not allowed to be upset that he murdered my mother because 'he didn't know any better'?" Icepetal spat back, hackles lifting.

"How could you kill Icepetal's mother?" Sunrise said quietly. "How could you kill anyone?"

Willowclaw hung his head, "I didn't know she was Icepetal's mother at the time. None of you understand how much I wish I could take it back. I didn't want to lose you, Icepetal."

"I was there that day, Willowclaw. You could have killed me too. It could have been my bones as well as my mother's you found in that hollowed out tree. How does that make you feel?" she hissed.

He stammered, "it makes me feel awful."

Icepetal rose to her paws, "now you know how I feel," and began to walk away, heading towards the slope leading from the basin. Feeling terrible Willowclaw jumped after her. All he wanted to do was apologise over and over. It seemed that all he could do to Icepetal recently was hurt her. He never wanted to hurt her. So why did it keep happening?

"Wait, Icepetal, where are you going? Please stop. I just want to talk this out," he called after her, stopping abruptly when she tossed a fierce snarl at him over her shoulder. He could see her facade cracking; the Chosen Icepetal becoming the bitter, orphaned Icepetal exiled from her own Clan. It was hidden in the way her eyes shined with unshed tears, the way her shoulders slouched, the way her body shook ever so slightly. He had done that. He was the cause for her trembling: him doing what Crimson had told him to do without a second thought.

"Anywhere that isn't here," she hissed.

"Please, I just want to talk about this," Willowclaw pleaded.

Her hiss turned into a growl, "Stay away from me, Willowclaw. Just stay away. I don't want anything to do with you right now."

He could feel his heart breaking. "Why," he mumbled, "why do you hate me so much?"

"You killed my mother, you idiot, and then you kept it a secret from me for moons. Do you just expect me to forgive you straight away? 'Oh it's okay, dear, I understand you didn't know any better, it's not your fault'. Well it is your fault. You killed her. It was your decision." She was trotting away, nearly breaking into a lope, in her haste to be away from him.

"Don't go."

Icepetal laughed, and it was a harsh sound. "It's too late for pleading.

"I love you. I always will."

Her words were quiet but he still heard them and they hurt worse than any other wound he'd been lucky enough to receive. "I don't think I love you." With his mouth dangling open, words dead on his tongue, all he could do was watch as Icepetal slipped out of sight.

Behind them there was a startled mew followed by a vicious snarl. Wrenching his head away from the basin slope he saw Tornheart dragging Eaglestrike towards her, eagle-like talons sunk into his shoulders the colour of her magic. He wriggled and writhed but his struggles were useless, Tornheart's power was fuelled by emotions and right now she was furious. He was dumped at her paws, and he scowled up at her like a scolded apprentice.

"You, you, you ungrateful, useless, dim-witted, heap of fox-dung!" Tornheart shouted. "Do not think I have not forgotten what Sunrise told us. If you were not important to the future of these Clans then I would inform Amory about what you did to Hope. Stop behaving like a spoilt kit, Eaglestrike. The survival of the Clans is more important than your wounded pride. Get out of here before I throw you off the edge over there."

As Eaglestrike crawled away on his belly Willowclaw stamped on his tail, making sure his claws dug into skin. "I would kill you myself if you weren't important. Maybe I will when we finish the task StarClan gave us; for killing Hope and for screwing up everything between me and Icepetal."

"Sure, just add another name to the list of cats you've killed," Eaglestrike snapped back.

Only Sunrise slipping in between them stopped Willowclaw from ripping to Eaglestrike's haunches with claws aching to spill his blood. "This won't make anything better," the apprentice said. "Stop it."

"I'm going to find Icepetal," Willowclaw muttered. A tail barred his way.

Arrow frowned at him. "You heard what she said. She doesn't want to see you let alone talk to you. Leave her be for a little while. She'll come around."

"You also heard what she said!" he protested, "she said she didn't love me anymore. I have to go and talk to her. I can't stand the thought of her not loving me because of something like this. You need to let me go fix it."

He shook his head, "not happening, Willowclaw. Trust me. Running after her now will only make it worse. When she wants to talk to you she will come and talk to you. Go and hunt something to get your mind off her and off killing Eaglestrike."

Grumbling under his breath, and shooting glares at Eaglestrike, Willowclaw was the next to climb out of the basin. A patrol followed swiftly after him containing a very amused Aspenthorn and concerned Fadedtail. The group Eaglestrike had ventured back down into the valley with had created strong loyalties with the PhoenixClan warrior, though Aspenthorn did not like to admit it.

"Where are you creeping off to, Sunrise?" Tornheart enquired, brows raised.

"Uh, I was going to grab some prey," she stammered in reply.

Tornheart shook her head and indicated for the apprentice to follow her. "I don't think so. We're going out to train this new power of yours so you don't accidentally kill anyone else. Come on. If you're lucky we'll only train until this evening."

"I'll come watch," Arrow yawned.

They left Eaglestrike still crouched close to the ground. He watched them go with a narrowed gaze and lashing tail. They had no right to be angry at him for the secret Willowclaw had planned on keeping forever. There were still more things Willowclaw had to reveal, like the fact he'd played an important part in the hardships of all their lives. A hiss threaded from his throat. Whatever, let them treat him like the villian. He didn't care. A faint murmur touched at his ear and he rolled his eyes. Just what he needed right now.

Crimson rolled into existence before his eyes, leering smile far too close for comfort. Her eyes smiled as brightly as she did. "I'm glad one of us can find the amusement in this situation," he whispered.

"I find any pain my killers feel highly amusing," she shot back, smile growing toothy. "I find my champion's pain even more amusing. He wasn't raised to be a social elite. I am very interested to see how this plays out. Will he get the love of his life back?" Crimson sighed dreamily, "or will she crush his fragile heart between her paws and laugh at him? I find the latter much more appealing."

"Can you take your crazed ramblings elsewhere? I'm busy," Eaglestrike shook some dirt from his fur. Grovelling at their paws had not been pleasant. But it had gotten him out of the precarious situation with only a pricked tail, not a slashed throat.

She snorted. "Busy doing what? Moping because nobody likes you anymore?"

"Oh, shut up. Plenty of cats still like me. I don't know why I'm even talking to you. I have a mate and kits to entertain," he sneered.

Crimson flicked a smoky tail at him, then began to fade. "I do believe there is somebody else that wants your attention," she grinned before disappearing entirely. He did hate her impromptu appearances.

Sighing he shifted his gaze around the basin. Crackingice was shouting at her apprentice, one of Heathersky's kits, about wet moss. Laughing at the apprentice's misfortune was their siblings, three little heads sticking out from the willow leaves. Most of the others awake were lazily sharing tongues. He spotted Shiverlight coaxing their kits out into the sun. It was warm enough now for them to come out. Smiling, he was about to join them when a shadow fell beside him.

"That seemed like a strange conversation for six cats to be having early in the morning," Amory mused, sitting down beside Eaglestrike with a gentle smile.

"What do you want?" he asked bluntly, not in the mood to deal with his leader.

The golden tom was watching Shiverlight. "I would like to know why Icepetal left here in a hurry after shouting at Willowclaw. I would also like to know why Tornheart elected to use her power on you."

"Ask one of them. I'm not interested in discussing it," he replied.

Amory sighed, "I want you to be able to talk to me about the things that bother you. I am your friend."

"That's not what you said a few days ago," Eaglestrike snorted. "Well done on bringing your apprentice back half dead by the way."

"Ah, I see. Eaglestrike, I would like to apologise for how I behaved that morning. It wasn't the best way to speak to you, and I am sorry. Forgive me?" He looked so earnest and genuinely concerned that Eaglestrike might remain angry at him for much longer. It softened something in him.

"I forgive you. Does this mean I get my apprentice back?"

Amory grimaced. "No. When you can prove to me that you are completely ready to resume her training then I will gladly hand her over. Training isn't really a fancy of mine, but she is an important cat and thus she deserves the best."

"Well this conversation was pointless," he muttered. "Can I go now? I'd like to talk to my mate."

"Just one more thing. Are you sure you don't want to talk about what happened earlier? It looks like it's really upset you," he asked quietly.

Eaglestrike glanced back over at the slope leading from the basin, ears flicking back. "It was just a disagreement between friends, nothing for you to worry about. We'll sort it out." He gave Amory a very fake smile, "We've been through a lot, something like this won't tear us apart." Liar.

"Come talk to me if you need someone to just listen," Amory offered.

It was tempting, though Eaglestrike would never admit it. "I have a mate for that," he reminded.

"Does the same go for me?"

"Huh?"

"If I ever needed someone to just listen, would you?"

"Uh, I guess so. Why? Is there something you want to talk about?"

"No," Amory smiled, waving a tail at the returning dawn patrol. "Thank you, Eaglestrike, you are free to go."

Perplexed Eaglestrike shuffled away from his leader.

Out of the basin and lingering awfully close to the shamble of debris that had once blocked the valley from the mountain, Icepetal paced back and forth. She'd worn a furrow in the dirt, paws following the same dent as she mulled over the morning's events. Sunrise could pull blood from bodies. Eaglestrike had thrown Hope off a cliff. Willowclaw had killed her mother. She flinched. Though what she felt for him was no longer the same as what she'd felt for him back at the mountain it still hurt to know he'd kept it a secret. Sure she might have reacted much the same, but that wasn't the point; he'd planned to carry on like nothing had happened, spend the rest of his days as her mate pretending all was okay. Her lip curled. She was so angry at him, and at Eaglestrike.

Her eyes drifted to the valley. She knew where he was. He'd said he would always listen. But she'd always kept her visits days apart. It made her presence in the valley harder to pick up if her scent was given time to dissipate. Still, the need to talk to someone was awful. Icepetal stared back up the mountain path, into the sparse trees and gray walls. Tornheart was really the only cat she could talk to, but she was busy with Sunrise. Risingwhisper would just laugh, and it didn't seem fair to push her troubles onto Heathersky. A huff of breath pushed from her mouth. It seemed Cyrith was the only one left.

It was still nerve-wracking sneaking into the valley. She knew Amory would kill her without a second thought if he found out. Whether it was to ensure the safety of the Clans or for some other reason, he was very firm in his insistence that no one go back down to their old home. She believed there was an ulterior motive for it; there was an ulterior motive behind everything he did and she would find out what it was. Amory was not to be trusted, her gut told her that much.

A cold silence always seemed to grip RisingClan's territory, and a nasty wind constantly whistled. It was Wind's doing of course, she liked the feeling of her element buffeting past her no doubt. There had been a few times Icepetal had seen the small she-cat's silhouette through the ice pillars. Moments like those had nearly induced a heart attack. Wind was not fond of the Clans. None of them were fond of their targets except Cyrith, apparently.

The snow beneath her paws was thick, and her legs ached by the time she'd ploughed through to RogueClan's land. Underneath the tangled trees there was less snow and more ice, the swamps mostly frozen over. Where there was snow it had mixed with the mud to create an awful mess. Icepetal's nose scrunched up when her paw slipped into a puddle of it. She tsked and shook most of it off, "disgusting."

"Perhaps you should have stayed up in your mountain prison then," a rough voice said.

Icepetal froze. That was not Cyrith's voice, there was no teasing lilt to it and it was too deep. Her heart trembled, her legs did the same. To her left, lounging in the fork where a tree split, was a shaggy, tabby tom. He stared at her with pale green eyes that drooped slightly. His face was wide and his muzzle was short, ears more rounded than pointed.

Earth tilted his head. "Would you like to explain why you are down here?"

"It's none of your business," she shot back, hoping he couldn't hear the breathlessness in her voice.

"You are standing in my territory, so I'm afraid that does make it my business." He sounded almost bored. "No matter. Whatever excuse you use would mean nothing."

Icepetal hissed at him, "this won't be your territory for much longer."

His eyes narrowed, and realisation crossed his face. "I recognise you. You're Icepetal, aren't you? Oh my day just got so much more interesting. Ice has a pretty little grudge on you and your friends, especially that little kit." Earth's smile was unsettling. "You're coming with me."

"I'm not going anywhere with you!" she snarled, backing up rapidly.

"It wasn't a question."

There were tree roots wrapping around her throat, circling and constricting like a soil-covered snake. Her mouth opened in a strangled cry. She fell back onto her rump and reached up with both forepaws to try and scratch them away. Two of her claws snagged and ripped loose. Her lungs screamed for air, dots beginning to mass before her eyes. She slipped onto her side, flanks heaving for air that would never go beyond her mouth. Through her hazy vision she saw an orange shape crash through the undergrowth. A final attempt at struggling failed and she allowed her eyelids to flutter shut.


	26. Chapter Twenty-Six: Mercy

**Chapter Twenty-Six: Mercy**

"He's in the tree."

Arrow groaned in defeat as he slithered out of the tree, pouting like he'd just lost the prey he was hunting. That was not the case. Instead he had lost at a very juvenile game of hide and seek that Sunrise had won rather convincingly. Not that she'd had the chance to hide, no she'd been forced to seek for ages while Tornheart watched like a hawk. It wasn't even a normal game of hide and seek. She had been forced to sit in one spot and use her blood power to find Arrow. It was boring, she was done with the game, but Tornheart seemed quite excited to continue it.

"Can we stop now?" Sunrise whined, "I'm bored, and tired, and hungry. Please?"

Tornheart huffed out a sigh. "I'm just trying to understand this power. I've never heard of it before. Not even Crimson could do it."

"Maybe there are some things in this world you don't understand," she muttered, leaning over her shoulder to flatten a bit of fur.

"Perhaps," Tornheart shrugged. "Tell me again how you can tell that it's Arrow and not somebody else."

Sunrise rolled her eyes. They'd been at this for ages. The sun was setting, it was getting cold, and her body ached. She tried not to use her power this much. It made her weak. "Everyone's blood is different. Not super different, it just has a different...feel to it. I don't know, I can't really explain it. I just know it's Arrow. I'm pretty sure it only works if I've smelt their blood before. Like, I can't find Marah with my power because I've never been around when she's bled. But I can find Willowclaw with it."

"Where is Willowclaw right now?" Arrow asked curiously.

"In the basin. He must be bleeding because his scent is stronger, but it's not a lot of blood, probably only a scratch."

"Okay," Tornheart said. "Pull some out of me."

"Wait, what?" Sunrise recoiled.

Tornheart grinned, "pull some blood out of me."

"It's hard to control how much blood I take, I could kill you," she murmured, ears flicking back.

"Then stop yourself from taking more than you need. I want to see this for myself. Go on."

Sunrise nodded slowly and took a deep breath. It was easy to find the vein that ran up Tornheart's throat. Thick blood ran through it, a constant temptation she had to ignore. Her heartbeat was quick too, a clear indication that Tornheart was not as confident as she seemed, or maybe she was just excited - it was hard to tell. She prodded gently at the vein with her mind, trying to coax a tiny slit into it; too big of a slit would kill her. It seemed this time that the blood was going to cooperate quite willingly. A thin stream of it dribbled from the slit and Sunrise commanded it come to her. Tornheart flinched when a slice opened up in her neck. Her eyes went wide at the ribbon of red, dripping, flowed into the air. Sunrise, when she felt she had gathered enough, closed the slit and the flow stopped. She let the freed blood wreathe around her head. It dripped red onto the soft grass.

"That's amazing," Tornheart breathed awestruck.

"And a little creepy," Arrow added. He was eyeing the floating blood very dubiously. "Did it hurt?"

Tornheart shook her head, "I didn't feel a thing up until the point where my skin broke open. That's such a strong power, Sunrise. It's dangerous. You have to promise me you won't use it unless you're with me. Okay?"

"I try not to use it at all," Sunrise snorted. "You don't have to worry about me using it. I've learned what it can do if I'm not careful." It was a lie. She would use her power and make it stronger so that she could protect her family. But Tornheart didn't need to know that. "Can we go back to the basin now?"

"Yes, I've learnt all I can for today. However this does mean that we will be training more often. For now we will keep your new power a secret. The Clans will only react badly."

The patch of flat land they used for training was not far from the basin. It was hidden away in amongst some trees, tucked neatly against sheer cliffs, safe from curious eyes. Emerging from the trees they found the sun had nearly set completely, only a faint light remained. Night was swiftly approaching, darkness spreading from beyond Crimson's mountain. It was cold, approaching freezing. Sunrise didn't have an overly thick pelt, though it had thickened a little with the onset of leaf bare, and she was feeling the chill. She wondered if it was just as cold down in the valley. Sneaking a glance at Tornheart to see if the she-cat would notice she pulled a little of the shadows over herself, letting them settle like a snug second pelt. A slight smile tweaked at her muzzle when Tornheart did not notice.

Willowclaw was sulking when they slipped into the basin. He jumped when Sunrise called his name and she nearly wished she'd kept her mouth shut. He looked awful, fur a tangled mess like he'd been dragged through multiple bushes, eyes hollow and empty. Sitting beside him was Shiverlight, though it looked like she was regretting it. Sunrise could understand his pain, sort of. Icepetal had stormed off after telling him she didn't love him anymore. That wasn't something anyone could get over easily. But then, as she neared the forlorn tom, she noticed something else in his expression; he was afraid.

"Have you seen Icepetal?" he demanded.

"So you did leave her alone. I'm proud of you, Willowclaw," Arrow chirped.

He frowned at Arrow, "don't talk to me like I'm a naive kit."

"In respect to love you kind of are," Arrow retorted.

"You're both acting like kits," Tornheart pointed out. "No, we haven't seen Icepetal since this morning. Why?"

Willowclaw whined pitifully. "That's the problem, no one's seen her since she left this morning. I'm really worried. What if she's gotten herself into trouble? She could be stuck somewhere!"

"I think you should more faith in her," Sunrise purred, "she's strong, you know that."

"But I can't help but worry. What happened this morning...I need to know she's okay. It hurts me to know she's alone out there hurting because of what I did," he said quietly.

A Noble patrol burst into the basin, skidding down the slope and heading straight for Amory. The leader, who had been sharing tongues with Wrenfeather, only gave them half his attention as they hurriedly relayed information to him. Abruptly he stiffened, eyes sliding from Wrenfeather to Willowclaw. An unsatisfied look settled over his face. No one but Sunrise noticed him murmur a few words to Wrenfeather before rising to his feet and setting his sights on their little group. Frantically she nipped at Tornheart's shoulder. At the she-cat's angry grumble she jerked her head in Amory's direction.

"Shut up," Tornheart hissed. "We're about to have company."

"Oh don't cease your conversation on my behalf, do continue," Amory's voice was cold.

Arrow gave him a lazy smile. "We were only reminiscing on our days before arriving back in the valley, honestly it's nothing you need to worry about."

The golden tom snorted. "Well I have something that you should be worrying about. Tell me, do any of you know where Icepetal might be? It's rather important."

"None of us have seen her since this morning," Willowclaw grunted. "So if you know where she is please tell us."

"You see, Willowclaw, I send a patrol down the path to the valley every evening to check for anything suspicious. Normally they don't pick anything up because everyone knows not to go down there, except for one cat. I made myself explicitly clear that no one was to go into the valley. So tell me, why did my patrol pick up Icepetal's scent leaving the mountains?" Amory growled. He looked awfully angry, eyes narrowed to slits and fur bristling.

Willowclaw gaped at him, "she's gone into the valley?!"

"So you didn't know she was going - " Amory's anger deflated - "but you do know why she's gone down there, don't you?"

"She's upset. This morning she found out about something and it tore her apart. She must have thought going into the valley would help clear her head. Why did she do that? She knows what's down there, oh no what happens if the Elementals catch her!?" he panicked.

Amory rumbled out a noise of distaste. "I would be more worried about her finding her way back here alive."

"Why should he worry about that?" Sunrise asked, "isn't that what we want to happen?"

"The punishment for disobeying my rule and going into the valley is death," he explained.

Tornheart stiffened, "so if Icepetal comes back you'll kill her?"

"I did not put that rule in place for no reason. It keeps these Clans safe from venturing down to their deaths; if I was to let her off with only a stern talking to everyone would start thinking they could go down there with no penalty. Icepetal will be killed if she returns. Though I would not hold out hope for her return. That valley will take her life," Amory answered evenly. "She might even already be dead."

Sunrise cleared her throat, making sure she had everyone's attention before speaking. "I will find her."

"What?" Willowclaw blinked, "how?"

"Just watch." She made her way over to the basin edge and stared out over the valley. It was hard to make out anything in the darkness that rested over it. That was going to work to her advantage. Behind her there were shuffled footsteps, the others curiosity dragging them over to her. She smiled. This would show them just how strong she was. At her sides appeared two shadowed, feline shapes: her shadow cats. They watched her with unblinking red eyes, waiting for a command. "Find her," she whispered and they dove right off the edge. Tilting her head back she closed her own eyes and relaxed. Through her shadow cats she could see everything they did, the valley opening up before her as their paws touched the rough grass of WaveClan's moor. It was warmer in the valley.

Her shadow cats moved quick, their senses heightened and stronger than any mortal creature. They danced across the darkness smothering WaveClan's cliffs, eyes picking up nothing but prey. It was oddly quiet and still. They raced quicker, dashing across the moorland. A flicker of movement where the moor changed into forest - CedarClan's territory she assumed - caught their attention and they slunk after it, blending into the darkness with ease. Pricked ears caught the sound of voices embroiled in an argument, and they weren't being quiet about their disagreement. Sunrise flinched. It was the Elementals. She recognised Ice's voice.

"I asked for all of them, not just one. What am I supposed to do with this?"

"It really doesn't not concern me, it's your grudge, not mine. Just kill her or something."

There was a long sigh. "I suppose killing her might bring the others into the valley for revenge."

"At least wait until she wakes up. You might be able to beat information out of her," Fire purred.

"That is a rather good idea. It was rather foolish of you to come back down here alone wasn't it, Icepetal?"

Sunrise snarled and her shadow cats did the same.

"The Shadowstalker knows! She's sent beasts down, look I can see their eyes!"

Pulling herself out of her shadow cats she sucked in a deep breath and tugged violently at the thick shadows coating the valley. At her command they sharpened to lethal points and shot through the trees towards the Elementals. As far away as she was Sunrise could not hear any cries of pain but she knew her shadows had found their marks, they always did. The explosion of fire only helped to solidify that fact. She sent another wave of sharpened shadows. A boisterous wind circled the valley, quickly forming a tornado that barrelled straight for them. It was nothing to an enraged Sunrise. With a jerk of her head darkness enveloped the tornado and sent it back the way it had came. Curling her lip she formed more shadow cats. This is what you get for stealing her.

Her anger built and built with each attack they sent. She destroyed the shards of ice with a wall of black, then sent back her own shards. Through her shadow cats she felt their panic and saw their frantic attempts to protect themselves. A ball of flame shrieked towards the basin but was snagged before it could make it, flung to the ground where it exploded with an angry roar. When the ground beneath her paws began to shake and crack she knew she had to finish it. She had to show them she was stronger. They'd give Icepetal back if she did that. They would. All the darkness lurched upwards and the valley looked like it was bathed in daylight, there wasn't a spot of black anywhere. It all dangled in the air, circling and circling until it became a thick ball. She could hear them shouting at each other, demanding they tell each other what was going on. Not even she knew what would happen when she dropped it but they were all about to find out.

It fell and when it hit the ground the force shook the valley and shook the mountains. There were yelps and cries of fear from behind her but she ignored them. Everything in her was buzzing, every nerve on fire, it felt so good to throw everything she had into her power. Had she killed them? What had her ball of darkness even done? Nothing was happening. It was dead quiet. Gently she slipped back into the body of a shadow cat. The valley looked okay, it seemed like the shadows had simply crashed back into their rightful places. But the Elementals, where were they? She found them in the forest, crumpled in four heaps. They were alive. Her entire body sagged. Not even that had killed them. She'd failed. Why couldn't she just kill them?!

Someone nudged her shoulder, gently turning her away from the valley. Tornheart folded herself around Sunrise, pressing the shaking apprentice as close to her body as possible. Sunrise shifted her head so that she could talk. "I tried so hard. Why couldn't I do it? Why couldn't I kill them? What's the use of all this power if I can't kill them?!" she cried hoarsely.

"Your power wasn't given to you just to kill them. It doesn't matter if you can't," Tornheart murmured into her fur.

"I just want to protect everyone," Sunrise whispered.

Willowclaw nuzzled her gently. "They have her, don't they?"

"Yes."

* * *

Icepetal woke with a groan. The skin around her neck felt raw, and it stung. Pretending it didn't bother her as much as it did she peeked through slightly opened eyelids. It was quiet. There was nothing around her accept greenery. Shifting she glanced over her shoulder. She was sprawled under a bush, she could see the roots and the thin branches holding it up. Puzzled she inched her way out of it. Strangely enough she wasn't injured anywhere else. Hadn't Earth mentioned taking her to Ice? Shouldn't she be dead by now? She wasn't going to spend too much time hanging around to find out what had happened. All she had to do was get back to the mountains.

Emerging from the bush she shook the twigs and leaves from her pelt, scowling when she noticed the tangles and knots. She was in CedarClan's territory, their forest was much lighter and warmer than the other territories. A deep inhale brought the taste of salt on the air; in CedarClan but awfully close to WaveClan. That would make getting back to the mountains a little harder, the journey a lot longer than she wanted. She was more than curious to know why she was still alive, and why she was alone. Had something happened?

"You aren't going anywhere," Wind hissed, knocking Icepetal over with a gust. "I did not just spend half the night recovering for you to escape."

"If you didn't want me to escape maybe you shouldn't have left me alone," she spat back, glaring at Wind.

The little she-cat frowned deeply. She looked exhausted, and her fur was an awful mess of dried blood and dirt. Icepetal arched a brow. Had there been a fight while she'd been unconscious? Maybe someone had come to get her back, if anyone even knew where she was. She flinched. Would Willowclaw care that she'd gone missing? Probably not. It seemed that, for now, she would have to survive on her own.

"Had a rough night?" she purred and grinned slyly.

"It wasn't exactly how I had imagined our first night together would go, sweetheart." Cyrith stumbled into view looking just as disheveled, and a little singed. "We haven't seen you since we broke into that cozy little basin of yours. Have you missed us?" Ah, there it was, a tiny little plea to pretend that they hadn't been meeting up in secret. That was fine, she could act.

"Can't say I have," Icepetal retorted.

Cyrith pouted, "you've hurt my feelings."

"Oh? I hadn't realised you had any," she gasped mockingly.

"Don't act like a kit around the Clanner, Fire. We have a reputation to uphold." Ice leaped down the trunk of a tree. Like the other two she looked roughed up, but in slightly better shape. Wounds that healed themselves certainly seemed to help with getting bloodstains out of fur. Icepetal tried to peer down at the wound ringing her neck to see if it had bled at all. Unsuccessful she flopped back against the grass with a sigh.

Fire huffed. "I don't see how me having a little fun is going to affect our murderous reputation."

"It's annoying," Ice sneered, picking her way through the grass to look down at Icepetal. "How stupid of you to come down here. I would have thought you of all cats would have avoided the valley."

Icepetal shrugged, not taking her eyes off of Ice, staring the other down. "I wanted to see for myself what had happened to my home. You've made a rather large mess of it."

"We live here now," Wind reminded, pausing her grooming, "we can do whatever we want."

"Yes but Crimson ordered you to exterminate the Clans. You can't do that lazing around here when we're up in the mountains. Come to think of it you haven't been back since Sunrise nearly killed Earth. Don't tell me you're...scared?" Icepetal laughed.

Her laugh was cut off by a paw slamming into her throat. She grit her teeth to stop the pained whine from filtering out. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Fire look away. So he cared enough to not want to watch her death. That was nice. "What that little kit did to us has not phased us. When we decide to kill you all then we will. For now we are simply enjoying the game we are playing." Ice leaned down and whispered in her ear, "I'm almost tempted to let you live just so you can watch me rip that kit's throat out."

"Who attacked you?" she choked out. This wasn't really going to plan but she had to keep herself alive for as long as possible. Eventually she would be able to escape. "I'm not stupid, I know something happened during the night."

Ice removed her paw. "Fine, I'll entertain your fantasies of your Clans winning for the last time in your life. Your Shadowstalker caught us off guard. She must be close to you to have gotten so angry at finding out we'd caught you. It was a messy fight. She didn't even leave the mountain but was still able to do a fair amount of damage." She grinned darkly, "but we are immortal and your Shadowstalker does not understand her power. We will win in the end."

"I think you might be underestimating Sunrise. She's stronger than you think."

The Elemental rolled her eyes. "Don't be ridiculous. A little kit like her doesn't stand a chance against us. Stop pretending you're going to win."

"Who says I'm pretending? We are going to win," Icepetal said.

Ice made a pained noise, "no one told me you Clanners could be so stubborn. You have nothing to beat us with. Sure you have a Wielder and a Shadowstalker but they won't help you when we decide to end you all. It doesn't matter, not to you any way."

"I did not carry her all the way from my territory for you two to have a conversation," Earth growled in a voice like gravel. "Get this over with. I hate playing."

"Fine, fine." She leaned down and her grin turned malicious. "I think I'll slit you open from throat to tail and take you back for your friends to see. How does that sound? I'll enjoy their cries."

Icepetal smirked and Ice recoiled, but wasn't quick enough. Her claws caught in Ice's ear and tore most of it off. The Elemental howled, eyes narrowed to enraged pinpricks. "Sorry but I'm not really in the mood for being slit open, maybe another time?" She rolled onto her paws, slipping into a low crouch. Her tail lashed behind her. This she could do. She wouldn't mind dying so much if she'd given her all beforehand.

"When will you learn?" Ice shouted, tossing shards at Icepetal. They only managed to slice shallow wounds but they stung nearly as badly as the raw skin around her neck. Ice leaped at her and Icepetal grabbed at her shoulders as she crashed into her. Rolling them Icepetal ended up on top, teeth sunk firmly into the soft skin of her belly, claws latching onto her face. Hindlegs pushing up into her belly flung her away and she nearly knocked Cyrith over.

He just looked at her. "Can't you just give up?"

"I'm not the type to give up." She spat blood from her mouth and straightened to intercept Ice's next attack. It came in the form of a sharp icicle that could have speared Icepetal straight through the head if she hadn't thrown herself to the ground. Instead thudded into a tree behind her. The next one sliced into her back. Crying out she stumbled, foreleg bending at an awkward angle as she frantically tried to regain her footing. Looking up she expected to see her death hurtling towards her but all she saw was Wind blow Ice over.

"If I were you," Earth rumbled beside her, "I would remain where you are."

"This is getting ridiculous," Wind was scolding Ice, "now who's behaving like a kit? Stay there. If I see you make any attempt to continue this stupid fight I'll get Earth to tie you down."

She stepped away from Ice and headed towards Icepetal, face pulled into a curious expression. "Do me a favour, Clan cat, and lie on your side."

"Uh, why?" Icepetal was thoroughly confused now.

"You've gotten fatter since I last saw you and I'm curious. Lie down or I'll make you." Wind poked her in the side with a claw. "Hurry up I haven't got all day."

Following Wind's instruction Icepetal stretched out on her side, head raised to watch the Elemental press her ear against her stomach. Did it look bigger? It wasn't like she was over-eating, it was leaf bare, there was hardly enough prey to keep Shiverlight and her kits satisfied. Squinting at her belly Icepetal could see that it was a little on the plump side. Odd.

Wind stiffened abruptly and made a noise of dissatisfaction. "You're not killing her, Ice. Not right now."

"No way," Cyrith breathed, staring at Icepetal's stomach with wonder.

"What?" Icepetal snapped, "what are you going on about?"

Ice snarked, "explain yourself, Wind. She's a Clan cat, why can't I kill her?"

"She is expecting kits."

"I'm what?" Icepetal exclaimed and was ignored.

"Why does that stop me killing her? If I do I'm stopping even more Clan cats from being born! That's what we want, isn't it?" Ice seethed.

Wind lashed her tail. "I might have murdered living kits before but I refuse to stand by and watch you kill unborn ones. That is where I draw the line. Murdering unborn kits is an awful thing to do."

"Do you expect me to wait till they are born before I kill her? What happens to the kits then? Do I get to kill them too? That's rather cruel, don't you think?" Ice snorted.

"No, you will not kill the kits the moment they are born. They will be returned to the other Clanners where they can die with them. This is not something you can argue against, Ice," Wind replied.

Ice curled her lip clearly angry. "What do the rest of you think?"

"Killing kits still in their mother's stomach just seems...wrong," Cyrith shivered.

Earth nodded, "unborn life should be given the chance to live."

"I can't believe this. The most powerful creatures in the world brought low and made weak by a few unborn kittens. Ridiculous," Ice spat. "Weaklings. Fine, have it your way. She will be kept alive until she gives birth to the little monsters and then she will die. You three will be responsible for looking after her, I won't have anything to do with her until I slit her throat. She better not escape or I will go up into the mountains and kill her."

"Hang on," Icepetal sputtered, "don't I get a say in this? They are my kits." Pregnant she couldn't believe it. There were tiny lives growing inside her. She eyed her stomach dubiously. Just how many were there? They had saved her life, for the next few moons any way.

"It's either die now or die later," Cyrith pointed out. "Wouldn't you like your kits to live a little before they die?"

Wouldn't it be fairer on the kits for them to die now and not feel a thing? It was selfish, but she wanted to see them with her own eyes. Would they look like her or Willowclaw? She froze, and blinked rapidly. They were Willowclaw's kits, she was sure of it. She was having his kits and she'd told him she didn't love him. Oh no.

"It's decided then," Wind glared at Ice. "She has until her kits are born."

* * *

an: my laptop broke and I had to write this up on my ipad. so if there's any stupid mistakes or missing punctuation, that's why.


	27. Chapter Twenty-Seven: A Subtle Evil

**Chapter Twenty-Seven: A Subtle Evil**

"I am so proud!" her shadow friend purred, fiery eyes practically glowing with pleasure. "What you did was amazing. You've gotten so much stronger since the first night we met. Doesn't that make you happy? It makes me happy. Even your control over blood has grown."

She didn't feel stronger. "Nothing I've done has stopped them. It hasn't brought Icepetal back, it hasn't killed them, it hasn't done anything. I'm still weak. I'm still not good enough to save her." She ripped up the ground with her claws. "All I want to do is protect them and I can't even do that!"

"That anger, that emotion, it's good, keep it. What you are feeling will only make your power more impressive. You can't compare yourself to them, Sunrise. They have had seasons upon seasons to learn everything about their own strengths. You have only had eight. So young, yet so powerful. I envy you sometimes," it murmured.

The forest was much lighter than usual. Through the thick canopy Sunrise could even spy some pale stars, and an even paler moon. Thick mist still clung stubbornly to the ground, and the forest still grew steadily darker the further she strayed from her little clearing. It felt a little warmer however. She didn't know why. A cold wind still rattled through the leaves and she doubted the sun even existed in this dream place. Still, she could feel that it was warmer.

"I wouldn't envy me," Sunrise sighed. "There's nothing fun about being a little apprentice with a power everyone takes more notice of. If I didn't have it I doubt half the Clans would even talk to me." She ceased her ravaging of the ground to push some of the unearthed dirt around. "Amory only ever talks about my power, even when we're training."

It shrugged. "He's the leader of a dysfunctional group of cats being hunted by more powerful cats. Of course he's only really interested in how your power can be used to protect him and the Clans. Leaders don't often take interest in little apprentices. Be grateful he wants to give you the best, otherwise you might have still been stuck with Eaglestrike as a mentor."

"What's wrong with having him as a mentor?" she spat, glaring at her shadow friend as it floated by.

It rasped out a wheezing laugh. "He only has eyes for his precious mate and precious kits. You'd be so far behind in your training if you still had him. Amory is good for you. He knows how to create strong warriors."

"Icepetal doesn't like Amory. She says he has an ulterior motive," Sunrise said. It hurt to think of Icepetal. A moon had passed since her disappearance, and subsequent imprisonment by the Elementals. She was still alive, Sunrise checked everyday, which confused everyone. Amory had decided that she was being used as bait to draw more warriors down into the valley. No one had been allowed to go after her and his law still stood: if Icepetal returned she would be killed for breaking his rules. "What kind of a leader would willingly kill one of his own warriors?"

"You have to understand, Sunrise, that the rules Amory put in place when he first became leader were to protect the Clans from something they could not hope to beat. You can be sure that Icepetal is not the only warrior that wants to return home. If he lets her come back without punishment then more will attempt to visit their home. It would jeopardise the safety of the Clans."

Sunrise scowled. "So you agree with him? You think he should kill Icepetal when she comes back?" She would come back. She would get away. The Elementals would not get the chance to kill her she was too strong.

"It's not really my place to say. What you think about it, and what I think about it, it doesn't matter and won't change anything. I doubt he will change his mind." It brushed its cold tail against her chin, "try not to worry about it too much."

"Icepetal says a true warrior doesn't need to kill," she mumbled.

Her shadow friend sighed. "Times have changed. That old Code does not suit the Clans now. If they didn't kill they would have been wiped out by Crimson's soldiers before you were even born. Besides," it leered at her with a wide grin, "you have already killed and you aren't even a warrior yet. Does that mean you can't become one? Will you spit in the face of Amory when he demands you take vows to protect your Clan because you couldn't control your powers and killed sweet, little Hope?"

"Shut up," Sunrise hissed. "I've moved on from that. It was an accident, and Eaglestrike killed her, not me. No one else will ever find out about it. The others won't tell, they understand how important it is that I am kept alive, and they need Eaglestrike as well."

"What a pair you make. The one that threw her kithood friend into death's jaws and the one that snapped them shut. I wonder, if Amory was to ever find out, would he kill you or exile you? You and Eaglestrike could wander to the ends of the world together with not a care in the world while the Clans you left behind perish," it mused.

"You aren't very cheerful today."

It laughed. "Your guilt at not being strong enough to rescue Icepetal taints this whole forest. What you feel affects me as well, just in slightly different ways."

"So when I'm sad you become downright rude?" Sunrise scoffed. "How pleasant."

"No one is keeping you here, Sunrise. You can leave whenever you want but you enjoy my company too much. There's not need to admit it, I already know. Not many of the other apprentices want much to do with you, do they? As much as everyone tries to forget, you are Crimson's daughter and they still see a shadow of the monster that killed so many of them whenever you walk by." It poked the skin beneath her red eye with its nose. "You look at them and they shiver."

Sunrise shoved it off with a quiet snarl. "This is ridiculous, you're just opening up old wounds in the hope that it'll start an argument. I'm not interested and if this is how you're going to be then I'm leaving. I came here to talk about my powers, not be insulted."

"No, Sunrise, wait."

But it was too late. The forest was fading, her shadow friend was vanishing, and Sunrise woke up in her nest under the willow leaves. It was icy cold. Thick snow coated the ground. The warriors and apprentices were tasked with sweeping the snow away from the nests but it always came back as they slept. Her breath gusted out in front of her in little clouds, and a painful shiver worked its way down her spine. Flinging shadows over her pelt made the cold bearable, but she hated doing it whilst everyone else had to freeze. Everyone was cold, miserable, and starving. No other hunting patrols had been allowed into the valley, Amory afraid he would lose warriors in reckless attempts to save Icepetal. Willowclaw wasn't even allowed to leave the basin without another warrior. Amory's possessiveness, the cold, the lack of prey, it was putting everyone on edge.

Twisting to flatten a bit of fur sticking up on her shoulder she made eye contact with Pebblepaw. The older apprentice blinked owlish amber eyes and mumbled, "good morning." She wasn't someone Sunrise had spoken too much since the Elementals had broken in, before everyone knew what she could do with the shadows that dwelled around them. They'd been shaky friends beforehand, close but not close enough to whisper secrets to each other. Now it was a stretch to call her an acquaintance.

"How are you feeling?"

Pebblepaw had been frequently visiting Marah, a running nose and quiet coughs throwing the healer into a panic. "An outbreak of illness will kill us all," the cranky she-cat had spat at Sunrise while chasing her from the den.

She shrugged, "cold. Marah gave me something yesterday which made me feel a little better." Pebblepaw studied her paws. "I won't get my warrior name till I'm all better."

"What? Why?" Sunrise shuffled out of her nest, scowling at the snow that fell into the hole she'd left behind. Eaglestrike had said an apprentice would get their warrior name when they'd proved to their mentor that they were ready. He hadn't said anything about health.

"Amory. He told me we need healthy warriors, not sick ones." Outside Owlshadow called Pebblepaw's name. "Sorry, I have to go."

Sunrise stared after her with a frown, worried and confused. Would Amory really hold Pebblepaw back because she was a little sick? That didn't really seem fair. Her frown grew. She hoped she didn't get sick when it came time for her to get her warrior name. Having to wait longer would be awful. What would her warrior name even be? Her name wasn't a normal apprentice name, maybe it wouldn't change at all.

The next day Amory took her far from the basin, to the furthest point of their territory. It wasn't too far away from the place she'd nearly killed Ice, and far too close to the cliff Hope had been thrown from. Squeamishly she stared over the edge of a very sharp drop. This was the edge of their mountain home, a grand fissure slicing through rock. Her throat was very dry. Had Hope fallen that far? She hoped her friend had been dead before she'd hit the bottom.

"Are you scared of heights?" Amory paused sharpening his claws on a tree to look at her. His stare always unnerved her.

"Sort of? Climbing trees doesn't scare me but this does. It's a very long way down."

He pushed off the tree and joined her near the edge. "I think it's very exciting to stand this close to death."

"Yes, well, I don't so I'm going to go stand over there," Sunrise snorted, leaving her mentor to be buffeted by the sharp wind. It still blew roughly through the forest of bare trees but not as badly. A shadow detached itself from a low-hanging branch, reaching out for her. She hissed quietly at it and it shot back into place. Sometimes they had a mind of their own, seeking her out of their own accord. It had gotten her more than a few confused looks.

Tilting her head she sniffed the air. "I can smell wolves again, Amory."

"Is it fresh?"

"No, they must have been here yesterday," she answered.

"They've been showing up more and more recently. I wonder why. What do they have to gain from stalking around our territory? There's barely enough prey to sustain us, let alone them," Amory mused. "Let's hope they don't decide to come wandering into the basin. A pack of hungry wolves would wipe us out."

Sunrise laughed bitterly. "So not only do we have to worry about the Elementals but we now also have to worry about a pack of wolves. Fantastic."

"It does seem like everything that can go wrong is going wrong lately," he smiled a little.

"Hold on was that a smile? I think the lack of prey is getting to you, Amory," she jested.

Amory's tiny smile fell into what was quite clearly a frown but could have been considered a pout. "Respect your elders, you rude apprentice. You sound far too much like Aspenthorn and we do not need another him."

"That didn't sound like a joke but I'm going to take it as one," Sunrise grinned.

Sure he was grumpy, ruled with an iron paw, seemed to hate Icepetal with every moral fibre, and acted like he was above everyone, but he wasn't really that bad. Sunrise had gotten used to him. The whole mentor-apprentice relationship was weird but she was thought he maybe didn't dislike her as much as he had originally. It was hard to tell. He never spoke about himself.

"Stop messing around," he sighed. "Go make yourself useful and catch some prey. Crackingice told me there was a little more around here than anyone else."

"What are you going to be doing? Napping?"

He narrowed his eyes. "I don't recall you ever being this cheeky. I will be assessing you to see if you've managed to learn anything from me or Eaglestrike."

Crackingice had either been lying or all the prey had vanished since she'd been here. There were faint traces of a mouse or two, and a bird, but other than that the forest was quiet. Her stomach rumbled. There hadn't been any prey left when she'd woken up. Something scuffed against the snow further into the forest and Sunrise dropped into a crouch. Anything would do. A tiny mouse would soothe the ache in her belly. Hunting in the snow was a little easier. After Amory had taught her how to even out her weight to ensure she didn't fall through she'd taken to it quite well. Quietly she advanced on her prey; a whiff of the air told her it was a bird, and the caw that erupted a heartbeat later announced that it was a crow.

Unfortunately her pelt was entirely black and that made stalking up on prey in the open absolutely impossible. Peeking around the trunk of a tree she spotted her dark-feathered quarry sitting pretty in the snow, beak tapping at a bug. Its back was to her, and the wind was blowing sideways. She would be able to get close enough for a perfect leap. The crow fluffed out its feathers with a loud caw and Sunrise practically drooled. She was so hungry. Pressing a paw gently into the snow she kept herself as close to the ground as possible, all the while preparing herself to leap at any moment. If she lost it she would go hungry again.

She was a few foxleaps away when something sneezed nearby and something else began complaining loudly. The crow jerked its head up and Sunrise bit back a growl. She pounced just as it took flight, her claws snagging into its belly in midair. It let out a horrified cry which was then cut short by sharp teeth nipping at its throat. Sunrise sat back with a long sigh, she'd come so close to losing it.

"Who," she said to herself, "is sneezing in the middle of the forest?"

"Ah, that would be me." Pebblepaw looked rather sheepish, which she should, her sneeze had nearly cost Sunrise a meal.

Owlshadow cleared his throat. "Sorry, Sunrise. We didn't know you were hunting around here."

"That was a really good jump, though." She hadn't even seen Eaglestrike but there he was, standing behind Owlshadow with a wide grin that she returned with a smaller one. It was his fault Icepetal had ended up in the valley in the first place and she still hadn't really forgiven him for it.

"Oh, thank you," she murmured.

Shiverlight was by his side watching her with a curious gaze. "You're a much better hunter than Eaglestrike had lead me to believe. He said you hunt like Willowclaw, if you can even call that hunting."

"I used to hunt like him but Amory's been teaching me well." Sunrise wasn't really sure how to act around the queen. She was, apparently, a Clan cat but not from these Clans, and she'd been an assassin in the city tasked with killing the Chosen. Somehow she'd ended up becoming Eaglestrike's mate. That always made her head spin a little.

"It was a very impressive catch." Amory dropped out of a nearby tree. "Your hunting has been getting much better recently." He turned his attention to the others, "are you out here patrolling? Shouldn't you be with your kits?"

Shiverlight grinned mischievously. "They are being entertained by Risingwhisper as a result of awful behaviour yesterday. Owlshadow offered we join him and his apprentice so I could see some of the territory."

Pebblepaw sneezed loudly again, and then broke into a coughing fit.

Looking simultaneously disgusted and ticked off, Amory hissed, "shouldn't you be back in the basin resting?"

"I wanted to do some hunting, the fresh-kill pile was nearly empty," she panted.

"That's not your decision to make. Sunrise and I will take you back to the basin. I want Marah to look at you again. Owlshadow, continue your patrol," Amory ordered.

Pebblepaw sniffled and hung her head. "I hate being sick."

"Maybe if you just laze around for a few days you'll get better?" Sunrise offered, picking up her crow. The other apprentice didn't say anything, just nodded and followed Amory.

Willowclaw wasn't in the basin for her to brag to about her great kill. In fact the only warrior in eyesight was Aspenthorn who eyed her crow hungrily. She shot him a smug look as she dropped her kill on the dismal pile. If it was gone by the time she got back from Marah's den she'd know who to go after.

They were interrupted before they could get to the healer's den by a peeved Risingwhisper depositing a bundle of reddish brown fur at their paws. She was huffing and muttering under her breath, eyeing the three other kits darkly. "This one is sneezing. I'd take her to Marah myself but if I let the others out of my sight they start pestering everyone. Poor Fadedtail just wanted a quick nap but no there can be no naps when the kits want to play." She didn't even wait for an answer, just left Inara with them, barking at the others to behave for five heartbeats.

"I will never understand how she managed to raise her own daughters," Amory muttered and poked Inara gently, "come then, if you're sick Marah needs to see you."

Inara poked her tongue out. "She won't give me anything gross, will she?"

"If you need herbs you will be given them," he answered.

"Then I'm not going."

Sunrise bit back a giggle at how exasperated Amory looked. "Come on," she purred to the little kit, "Marah will give you a mossball to play with if you're good." Inara gasped, eyes lighting up, and bounded towards the healer's den with a wide grin.

"You lot better be dying to interrupt me," Marah spat. "Especially the little kit, you know I don't do well with kits. Well? Are you dying?"

Amory grunted. "Pebblepaw is still sick and Risingwhisper told me Inara was sneezing, now do your job and look after them."

"So for once you're visiting me completely healthy, Sunrise. I am shocked," Marah snarked, shepherding Inara into a nest and pushing her to lay down. With an ear pressed to the kit's side she scowled at Amory, "if you're both healthy why are you still here?"

"I want to know how sick these two are. Sunrise is merely concerned for her friend. Do you have something against us being here?" he snapped back.

Marah ignored him. "Is your throat sore?"

"No," Inara chirped.

"Do you even feel sick?"

"Nope!"

"Tell Risingwhisper she's wasted my time and needs to come help me tomorrow. You'd think, being a previous healer, she'd know the difference between a sneeze and something serious," Marah grumbled. "You can go, Inara."

"Can I have a mossball?" she purred loudly.

Marah was already ushering Pebblepaw into a separate nest. "Eh? Sure, whatever. Sunrise you've been in here enough to know where the moss is, go break some off for the kit."

At the back of the cave the moss was kept out of the way of the damp. Wet moss wasn't good for sick cats to rest on, and there wasn't much of it to be found in leaf bare. But there was enough for a small mossball to keep the kits amused. She liked sleeping on moss, it was warm. There wasn't any point making moss nests outside, the snow would ruin them, so everyone just slept on the ground. It wasn't really comfortable.

"Here." Tearing a little off she rolled it into a ball and nudged it over to Inara. "Go play with the others, but be careful. I doubt the warriors will be pleased if they're hit by a ball of moss."

"Thanks, Sunrise!" Inara scampered off. Her stomach growled again and her thoughts drifted to the crow waiting for her. She wasn't really friends with Pebblepaw so she guessed it was okay to leave.

"How is she?" Amory asked.

Sunrise heard Marah sigh and she stopped before she came into view. "I'm not going to lie to you, she's not looking good. She doesn't just have a cold. It looks like greencough, and I don't think I have anything to treat greencough with."

"Right. See if you can do anything, I'll be back later. Sunrise, come, I know you're waiting to eat the crow you caught."

Night fell. Sunrise bragged to Willowclaw about her amazing catch and teased Aspenthorn about how good it had tasted, even if it had been a little on the thin side. Inara dragged her into the game of mossball she and her siblings were still playing. As she played she could see Eaglestrike watching them with a wide grin, Shiverlight tucked up happily beside him. She ignored how much space there was between him and Willowclaw, choosing to let herself have fun instead of worry. With aching limbs and a large yawn she fell into her nest, sleep stealing her quickly.

When she woke the next morning Pebblepaw was gone.

* * *

Under a pale sun framed by a light sky streaked with wispy, thin clouds, Icepetal played absently with a fallen leaf. She rolled it absently between her paws, her eyes focused on the resting figure outside the den Earth had grown for her. It was marvellously built, roomy enough for her to stretch out, and the leaves thick enough to keep the snow from falling in. At first it had felt like a prison, the branches resembling a cage similar to the one in the city. But now, with its assortment of feathers that Cyrith insisted on her having, it was comfortable. Her imprisonment hadn't actually been as bad as she'd been expecting.

The first few days were strained. She'd spent them hissing and spitting furiously at the others for so much as looking at her. It had all been a lot to take in: pregnant, kidnapped, sentenced to death when her surprise litter decided to emerge. When the hissing stopped working she turned to silence, curling up amongst some tree roots, refusing food and comfort. The snow had settled over and around her, numbing her body to match her mind. Of course that was never destined to work either. Cyrith was relentless, as was Wind - strangely. Perhaps the little she-cat had decided now was the time to work in redeeming herself. They coaxed her from an eventual death at the paws of cold or starvation.

Earth hung around, watching, appearing neither amused or angry. He'd been staring at her with his cold eyes when the den had formed itself in a flurry of rustling leaves and creaking branches. "New life is a gift," he had murmured. "It should be respected." Such a statement didn't seem to fit with his destructive actions. Nothing that the three Elementals were doing fit with their past behaviour. Only Ice stuck to her cruelness, disappearing on the fifth day with a promise that she would return when it was time. She hadn't been back since.

Now, a whole moon later, Icepetal could almost say she was comfortable around the three of them. They were certainly comfortable around her; Wind was currently napping outside the den, supposedly on 'guard duty'. Perhaps a moon ago, presented with such a chance, Icepetal might have made an attempt to run. She looked down at her swelling belly. Now she was too slow to make it far, and she didn't want to endanger the kits she carried.

Pregnant.

She'd come to terms with it, sort of. It saddened her that Willowclaw wouldn't know until she was dead and his kits deposited at his paws. A sliver of air whispered out from between her lips. The more she thought about it the more she regretted the way things had ended between them. But then a part of her argued that he deserved it, he'd lied to her about something as important as that. Her claws still itched to skin Eaglestrike alive - the snivelling foxheart deserved it. He didn't deserve Shiverlight, or their beautiful kits. Not when he'd torn Littleflame apart, and then destroyed her trust in Willowclaw. Not when he stared at Amory like he was some brilliant star. Her lip curled and the leaf crumpled between her claws.

"What did that poor leaf ever do to you?" Cyrith's grin was insufferable as usual.

Icepetal matched it with an equally toothy one of her own. "I was imagining it was you."

"That's just rude, sweetheart. What have I done to deserve such behaviour?" he pouted, the feather in his mouth fluttering.

He brought them daily. Usually they were plucked from the birds he caught, they were his favourite to eat, so there was always a constant supply - brown, black, soft gray, white. Occasionally a more colourful feather appeared, something he'd found while meandering uselessly through territory that didn't belong to him. The one he'd brought today was a glossy black, a crow's.

"You and Earth playing like kits woke me up much earlier than I would have liked to be awake," she replied.

Cyrith sat himself down quite comfortably in the mouth of her den, placing the feather by her paws with a sly wink. "Had to make myself look all strong and courageous in front of the pretty she-cat."

"There's no need to do that," she added the feather to the ones lining her nest, "I already know you're not."

He laughed. "If you say so. How do you feel?"

Icepetal snorted and gave her belly a pointed look. "Fat," she remarked. "You lot are feeding me as if your life depends on it. Not that I mind, being looked after like this is wonderful." Her face fell a little.

"But you miss working for it, don't you?" he said softly.

"All my life I've worked for the right to eat, to live. Lying around doesn't suit me. How queens do it for moons at a time amazes me." Secretly, and she would never admit it, the knowledge that they were doing all this for the little lives growing inside her made her trust that they would do the right thing for her kits when she was gone.

He tapped her forehead, "come on then," and backed out into the snow.

"What?" Curiosity tugged her to her paws and shoved her out of the warm den, into leaf bare's unpleasant grip. She frowned at the snow, then at Cyrith. "Explain."

Cyrith's grin was mischievous this time. "We are going to go for a walk to stretch your poor legs."

"Do behave," Wind yawned, stirring only to pin him under a sleepy stare. "I'd rather not have to tell Ice you managed to burn down the forest again."

"I always behave," he purred.

"That's a lie if I've ever heard one. Have fun." She curled up into a tighter ball, tail flicked over her nose.

"Let's go, come on," Cyrith pestered.

Icepetal trotted after him, nipping at his haunches. "Where are we going then?"

"To somewhere with a lovely view."

They took their time, neither in any hurry. Icepetal hated saying it but she couldn't move as quick for as long anymore. Being pregnant was an insight into being a weaker creature. Her belly, which held such precious lives, was an inconvenience to everything. Hunting was awkward. Fighting was awkward. Sleeping was awkward. She wouldn't change it though. A family was something she'd always wanted, just not quite in the way hers was going. Her kits would live. She would not. Death wasn't scary after you had accepted it.

She appreciated being looked after.

She appreciated the strange way Cyrith elected to care for her.

But she missed the basin. She missed the Clans. She missed Sunrise, and Tornheart. She missed Willowclaw.

"Why were you down here?" It was asked so quietly that Icepetal nearly missed it. "Why had you come back?" In the entire moon she'd spent imprisoned she had never told him why she had returned to the valley. It was embarrassing to admit that her guard had slipped because someone she had once loved, and maybe still did, broke her heart. She was Icepetal; she was supposed to be stronger than that.

"Something happened, and I needed to talk to someone, but there was no one. Only you." The words came out slowly, carefully, and dripping with hesitance. Did she want him to know all it took to break her was a foul blow from a loved one?

He glanced at her. "What happened?"

CedarClan's forest joined seamlessly with SnowClan's tree-dotted snow plains. They were skimming the edge of the plains, heading towards where they became mountain, sloping up gradually towards the sky. Crimson's mountain was a pale silhouette in the distance, such a long way away. Its bulk would always remain, as would the nightmares of her reign.

"Um, do you remember Willowclaw?" He nodded so she continued, fighting past the dryness in her mouth. Cyrith had never known what Willowclaw was to her, or what she was to him. "We were - are? - sort of mates. I don't know we never discussed what to call what we were."

"But you loved him," Cyrith interrupted. "And he loved you."

"Yes."

"You're carrying his kits."

Icepetal met his gaze. "I'm not sure, I assume so."

"So what did he do to you?" There was a sudden sharpness in Cyrith's voice, and a dangerous glint in his amber eyes.

"He killed my mother. A long time ago," she added hurriedly, "when I was a kit still. He knew all along, ever since we found her remains in the tree, and he never told me. He was never going to tell me. I only know because Eaglestrike told everyone. How can he claim to love me but then plan to keep something like that a secret from me?" Her legs hurt. The ground had sloped upwards considerably, plain turning to mountain. Dark rocks peeked through white snow and hardy trees stood proud despite lacking leaves.

Cyrith was watching her closely. "He was afraid of losing you."

"That doesn't make what he did okay," she spat.

"I'm not saying that. He should have told you. But he was probably terrified because he loves you so much," he said. "I bet he's never loved anyone as much as you."

Icepetal ignored the painful clench her heart gave. "I want to forgive him, but I don't trust him anymore."

"I can't force you to forgive him, and I can't stand here and pretend I know everything there is to know about being mates. But the important question is, do you love him still?"

She thought about him, about how warm and safe she had always felt around him. How he'd looked at her when she'd limped onto the ledge on the mountain: like she was everything to him. How awful the moons they spent apart were, and how much she missed him now. Pausing in her step she tucked up a forepaw and pressed it against her belly. They were his. They were Willowclaw's. Their family. Things had been strained between them since they'd come back. But underneath all that?

"Yes," Icepetal breathed. "Yes, I do."

Cyrith smiled brilliantly and bounced forwards a few steps. "Hurry up! It's just up here!"

Before her eyes the whole world sprawled out, beautiful and daunting, and endless. From the top of the mountain she could see all the way to the Tribe's smudged grasslands. Beyond that, somewhere, was the city, hidden behind forests. Snow covered some of it, then it ran out and became pale green. It was beautiful. She turned around and sighed. Her home. The valley, soaked in white, stared back. From that high she could see the ocean lolling gently against the beach, and the gulls fighting amongst themselves on the cliffs. SnowClan's camp, bedraggled and rundown, poked out of the snow, old bramble barriers sagging. This was what she had fought Crimson for. The wind blew fiercely against her face and she blamed the dampness of her eyes on that.

"I'm going to miss this," Icepetal said.


	28. Chapter Twenty-Eight: Darkness Grows

**Chapter Twenty-Eight: Darkness Grows**

Days were shorter in leaf bare. The sun rose later and set earlier, and it got colder with each day. Sunrise didn't mind the dark. In fact she rather liked it. However she did not enjoy being dragged out of her warm nest before the sun had risen and made to sit outside in the snow with everyone else whining around her. The warriors whined the worst, the apprentices just looked downcast and exhausted. She squinted up through the snow at the sky - velvet black with just a hint of sunrise pink. Maybe it would be a little warmer today. Beside her Eaglestrike huffed angrily. He was hunched over, a paw wrapped around two of his kits; Jay asleep against his leg, Alvar making a pile of snow. She smiled a little, he made a pretty good father.

"I wonder what he wants," Eaglestrike grumbled.

"Shouldn't you know?" Singe hissed. "Aren't you and he best friends now?"

He wrinkled his nose. "Amory is my leader, that's it. We aren't friends. He doesn't tell me anything, I do not get special treatment."

"I wouldn't say that. He's pretty relaxed about you doing hardly any duties. We're starving, or have you forgotten that? Go out and provide for your Clan." Singe flattened his ears to his skull. His eyes were hollow, and dim; his ribs stuck out, his fur was messy, and his breathing was a bit laboured. He looked at Eaglestrike with white hot anger in his eyes.

"Do you have a problem with me?" Eaglestrike sighed, bored.

"My brother's mate is being held prisoner by a bunch of maniacs because of you. Don't look so surprised, foxheart, he's my brother, he tells me everything. Such a great warrior you are, treating your fellow Clanmates like that."

"Willowclaw is not in my Clan," he muttered and lashed his tail.

Singe snorted, turning his attention away from Willowclaw to watch Amory stroll up the ledge. "We are all Clanmates now. Look how many of us are left, there are hardly enough of us to make one strong Clan let alone six."

"Are you going to tell us why your Nobles dragged us all out of our nests at the crack of dawn?" Stormhawk yowled.

Amory didn't look like he had just woken up. His eyes were far too alert, his fur groomed to perfection like always. Sunrise peeked at her own fur. Messy was an understatement. Her face fell into a pout, he could have at least given them a little bit to wake up.

"Of course," he finally answered, rising to his full height on the ledge. The scars on his face stood out starkly in the pale morning gloom. "Look around. See who is sitting beside you, behind you, in front of you. Count them. Notice anything?" Dead silence, confused stares. "Yet again I have to stand up here and tell you all that another apprentice has vanished."

"It's Pebblepaw." Owlshadow's voice cracked.

Sunrise flinched. _Pebblepaw's gone? But she was with Marah yesterday. She was sick. Why would she leave the basin, and at night?_

"Perhaps you should have disciplined your apprentice more, Owlshadow. She managed to charm you into taking her outside of camp when she was sick yesterday, and now she has left the camp during the night. Another apprentice. Gone. This is getting ridiculous, there are not enough of us left for this to keep happening. Take care of your apprentices, teach them the rules, ensure that this does not happen again." His gaze hardened. "The consequences for treason are unpleasant to say the least."

"Are you going to send out patrols to look for her?" Smokefoot shouted.

Amory drew a claw lightly across the stone. "No. It is highly likely that she is dead. Not only are the Elementals lurking beyond the basin, there are wolves too. Factor in the cold, the darkness, the cliffs, a stray fox or two, and the chances of her surviving are little. We do not have the resources or the time to go looking for her. We are starving. Pebblepaw is dead."

"We don't know that!" Owlshadow shrieked, jumping to his paws, face tugging into a look of anguish. "She could be wandering around just outside the territory! Pebblepaw is alive, I know it!"

"I do not give permission for anyone to go looking for her," Amory growled.

Fadedtail released a throaty laugh. "A sick apprentice wanders off, which was stupid, at night and does not return. Every other group of cats would go looking for her. But we aren't allowed to. The Code says we are to protect our Clanmates with our lives, yet here we are sitting on our butts doing nothing."

"It is too dangerous to go looking for her. You all need to understand that." Amory was getting mad now, Sunrise could see it in the slight tremble of his legs. "I am just as saddened by this as you are."

"If you're upset then let a patrol go out. Please!" Owlshadow begged.

The willow leaves shifted with a grand rustle, Marah sweeping out regally. "She had the early symptoms of greencough. If we were to go out there and risk our lives to find her, she would be dead in less than a moon. I do not have the herbs to treat greencough; I am sure I do not have to explain how deadly greencough is to us."

Swiftpaw, Heathersky's kit, spoke up in a shaky voice: "are you saying it's a good thing she's gone missing?"

"Don't say such stupid things, kit. Pebblepaw's disappearance is an awful thing," Marah spat.

Heathersky stepped between the medicine cat and the apprentice. "Don't speak to my daughter that way."

"This is going nowhere," Amory grumbled. "You want proof Pebblepaw is dead? Fine. Sunrise, find her. If your shadows can't find her then she must be dead, right?"

"Uh it doesn't really work that way," Sunrise said sheepishly.

"Are you arguing with your leader?" It was a warning, do as you're told.

Beside her Eaglestrike leaned down and breathed in her ear, "just do as he says."

Caught between wanting to yell at him and wanting to yell at Amory, Sunrise scrunched her face up, a quiet growl falling from her mouth. They were ridiculous, why could they never just listen!? How many times had she told Amory her powers didn't work that way? Countless. Eaglestrike had no right getting involved, he'd let her go in favour of giving all his attention to his new family. It still stung to think about. Left without any other option she rolled her eyes. "Fine."

Search for Pebblepaw. How was she supposed to do that? She couldn't even sense her blood, the other apprentice had never bled near her. Regardless she cast an instruction out to the closest shadows: find Pebblepaw. Their response wasn't as strong as it usually was; instead of a firm tug on the link between them it was a lazy prod. The instruction wasn't clear enough, there wasn't enough power behind it. Her ties to Pebblepaw were weaker than her ties to Icepetal. Slowly they untangled themselves from branches and rocky crevices, seeping from the basin, spreading. It was over quickly. They either hadn't picked up any sign or couldn't be bothered to try anymore and snapped back into their original resting place. Sunrise released the breath she had been holding.

"Well?" Owlshadow pressed, "did you find her?"

"I can't sense her, but that doesn't mean she's dead!"

"Perhaps not but if you cannot find her then I highly doubt any of us will. Are you all relatively content now? Sunrise could not find Pebblepaw. I think it is fair to assume from that that she has died," Amory said. There was a threatening undertone to his words.

Owlshadow hung his head miserably. "Yes, Amory."

"Good. Let this be a warning to all apprentices, if you go wandering late at night and get lost we will not look for you. We live in a dangerous time. Silly things like midnight adventures are fatal. While we are on the topic of missing cats, given the recent disappearance and imprisonment of Icepetal -" Eaglestrike stiffened -"I find it necessary to remind you all what happens to those that enter the valley without permission. Execution."

"Why?" Willowclaw's cry was hoarse. "Why is the punishment execution? Why would a leader willingly kill one of their own?"

"To cement the rule. To show you all how important it is to obey that rule. Icepetal knew the consequences. If she returns she will be executed," Amory replied firmly.

Sunrise couldn't help the spark of anger that ignited her blood. Around her the shadows shifted minutely, but enough to draw attention. She met Amory's cold gaze and scowled. "These aren't the Clans I was told stories about, that I looked forward to seeing. Icepetal doesn't deserve to be executed. Whatever the Elementals are doing to her is punishment enough." The darkness swelled, and her Clanmates gasped, freezing shadows slipping over their paws to reach their master. "It's not right."

Amory snorted dismissively but there was a dangerous glint in his eyes. She, a mere apprentice, had dared to speak out against her leader. "You would not be able to understand this, Sunrise. You are only an apprentice after all. Now, release those shadows."

"Why? Are you going to kill me if I refuse?" she sneered.

"Sunrise," Eaglestrike hissed. "What are you doing?"

"What you should be doing: helping Icepetal. You're the reason she's down there, aren't you?"

"Enough." Tornheart eyed the darkness behind Sunrise with an appraising eye. "Arguing will solve nothing. Neither will murder. What Amory decides to do as leader is up to him. It is up to you, as an apprentice, to learn from him." Under her breath she muttered, "preferably his mistakes."

"This meeting is over. I don't want to hear anymore about Icepetal or Pebblepaw." Amory, satisfied, strode back down the ledge and disappeared into the leaves.

Velvet black gave way to morning blue, dawn's blush evolving into a warm yellow. The sun threw its first few rays out, pale and fragile. The clouds caught them, painting themselves a royal gold. Sunrise inhaled the sharp air, tasting the bitterness of ice on her tongue. Her shadows languidly fell away. There was no use angering Amory, it would only serve to make him worse. Around her the Clans shuffled off to start their day, some returning swiftly to their now gold nests, others heading out into the mountains. A few plucked at the dismal fresh-kill pile. With no hunting parties allowed into the valley it was back to starving miserably. Her stomach growled. She ignored it.

At her side Eaglestrike mumbled for Alvar and Jay to return to Shiverlight. Too tired to complain they shuffled off through the snow, little tails dragging behind them. He smiled gently after them. "I would do anything to protect them," he said. Sunrise flattened her ears, gaze falling to her paws. "Just like I would give my life to keep you safe."

"What?" She wasn't sure if she'd heard him right.

"I mean it, Sunrise. You are just as important to me as they are, you always will be." He leaned down a little to nuzzle the side of her head. "Please don't forget that." A sly grin appeared. "You're nearly as tall as me. I haven't noticed you growing."

Fur ruffled with warmth it was hard to remember that Eaglestrike had caused the rift in their family, that he had ignored her in favour of his new family. "You haven't been spending much time with me," she teased, "that's why you haven't noticed."

He swallowed and shifted his paws. "I know, and I'm sorry. Could you forgive me?"

"For ignoring me? Yes. For what you did to Icepetal? No."

"I regret what I did," he murmured. "Willowclaw won't even look at me. Tornheart hates me, I can see it in her eyes. And you...I took someone special away from you. I don't think I deserve forgiveness. I want her to come back."

Sunrise glared up at the ledge. "If she comes back Amory will kill her. If she stays the Elementals will kill her. I hope she runs away. At least that way she'll survive."

"You've changed," he said abruptly.

"Have I?"

"Yes. You're….you're older. Smarter. You're not a kit anymore."

She grinned, "well I have to grow up at some point."

Eaglestrike opened his mouth to reply but before he could Fadedtail barrelled into him, purring loud enough that Sunrise could hear it clearly. Crackingice followed, landing on top of the two warriors. Pressed against the snow Eaglestrike groaned, "what did I do to deserve that?"

"You were talking for too long," Smokefoot answered. "They were getting impatient."

"It's not everyday you agree to one of their schemes," Aspenthorn huffed.

Whitestream laughed. "There's a reason no one ever agrees to their schemes."

"I'll have you know our 'scheme' is going to work and everyone is going to love us." Fadedtail stuck her tongue out.

"If you'd get off me we'd be able to start your scheme," Eaglestrike complained, wriggling uselessly underneath them.

Crackingice let more of her weight sag, earning a squeak from Fadedtail and a pained grunt from Eaglestrike. "I don't think I want to move, it's very warm piled up like this."

"What are you scheming about?" Sunrise giggled.

Aspenthorn sighed dramatically. "They have a plan to catch an eagle. It's an awful plan and someone is going to lose fur but they still want to do it."

"An eagle?" Her eyes widened, "isn't that dangerous?"

"Very. You can see why most of us think it's a stupid idea," Smokefoot snorted. "Nothing will change their mind. Stubborn she-cats."

"Don't listen to him. He wouldn't know a fantastic plan if it smacked him in the face," Crackingice mocked with a devious grin.

"Alright!" Eaglestrike wheezed. "Get off me! If you kill me you can't complete your scheme."

"Fine, fine. We should sleep like this at night," Fadedtail slithered to her paws. "It is very warm."

Aspenthorn physically recoiled. "I am not snuggling up close to you. I've heard from everyone that you kick in your sleep."

"So you're saying if I didn't kick in my sleep you'd be all for it?" Fadedtail's eyes lit up.

"Okay, I'm going to go find something to do," Sunrise said, "have fun with your scheme!"

"No! You have to come with us!" Crackingice exclaimed.

"What, why? You're not using me as bait," she danced out of Crackingice's reach.

The older warrior shook her head, feigning offence. "We would never! We just need you to watch so you can tell everyone how amazing our hunting was."

"I'm tempted," Sunrise said slowly.

"You take your life into your own paws with those two," Whitestream warned.

"Are the rest of you going?"

"Of course, I wouldn't miss seeing them get beat up by an angry eagle," Smokefoot crowed.

"Alright I'll come," Sunrise chirped.

"Oh god I can't believe you've dragged an innocent apprentice into this," Eaglestrike shook his head.

She'd never spent much time with Eaglestrike's friends. They were an odd group, unlikely friends. As far as she'd been concerned Aspenthorn hated all the Chosen, but here he was messing around with Eaglestrike as if the two were brothers. The SnowClan warrior had been nicer to her since the incident with Ice she supposed. On top of that, Fadedtail and Crackingice acted like rebellious apprentices. The eldest, Whitestream, seemed to spend most of the time sighing disapprovingly. Smokefoot was quiet; when he did elect to speak he was sarcastic and witty. It was hard to keep up with the six of them. She loved it.

A pale winter sun and some skeletal trees were the only witnesses that morning. Mountains choked by low hanging clouds stood stoically, stone arms wrapped protectively around their territory. The basin, and its surrounding forests, were in a lower part of the mountains, not as high as the pale peaks. Sometimes late at night, when a bright moon sat alone in the sky, it was tempting to scale the height and see the world from so high up. Would she sit amongst the stars that high? Would the sight of her home, a tiny chunk in an endless expanse, make all her worries fade? Or would the wind barrelling by her drag her back to a smaller peak, to a night when she hadn't wanted the blood she'd spilt?

Whitestream gave her a warm smile when she sat down.

Would they still look at her that way if they found out about Hope?

"You're not going to see anything hiding in the trees!" Fadedtail complained. She stood out in the open, swinging tail dusting snow. At her side Crackingice was attempting to perfect her 'play injured' act. According to them an eagle had made its nest on the cliff towering over them. Sunrise was dubious that the eagle would buy into such an obvious scam.

"I feel like I might keep most of my fur if I stay back here," Smokefoot sneered. Everyone else had elected to stay within the barren trees.

Sunrise snorted, "I can't believe you're letting them do this."

"Trust me, I attempted to stop them. Many times. They're...stubborn," Eaglestrike frowned. "This is going to end so badly."

"On the plus side it's going to be hilarious," Aspenthorn pointed out.

Smokefoot rolled a ball of snow between his paws. "You're going to be the one explaining to Amory why one of his warriors was carried away by an eagle."

"You know - " Fadedtail trotted over to the tree line - "Eaglestrike should be joining us."

"What? Why?" he sputtered, recoiling when she leaned towards him

She tilted her head. "Your name's Eaglestrike. We're about to catch an eagle. Do I need to spell it out for you?"

"I was not given this name to prove myself by catching an eagle, and you are not roping me into assisting you in any way."

"You disappoint me everyday," Fadedtail pouted. "Will you at least say you'll rescue us if it goes badly?"

"Aw don't do that. I want to see one of them carried off into the distance," Aspenthorn whined.

Eaglestrike laughed, shoving Aspenthorn away. "I won't let one of you be eaten."

"Strangely enough I do not trust you," Fadedtail said dryly. "Sunrise will save me. I trust Sunrise to save us." She looked at her expectantly. "Won't you?"

"Oh of course." Sunrise waved her tail dismissively. "You can count on me."

"Fantastic! See look we don't even need your help, Eaglestrike," Fadedtail stuck her tongue out.

"Will you lot stop chatting so we can do this?!" Crackingice complained. "It's cold lying in the snow."

Sunrise had not expected for it to take so long; sunhigh had been and gone. Beneath the cliff, hidden behind a sagging bush, Fadedtail looked like she was falling asleep. She felt bad for Crackingice, her side would be numb from the cold by now. Still the two were refusing to give up. Under the trees the others were amusing themselves: Smokefoot and Whitestream napping comfortably together, Eaglestrike and Aspenthorn passing the snowball to each other. Sunrise, bored, had taken to weaving things with her shadows. Currently the darkness was taking the form of a flower, a delicate, pretty one.

"You think I can hit Crackingice with this?" Aspenthorn suddenly asked.

Eaglestrike wheezed out a choked laugh. "Really? You actually want to try that right now? Please do, I love seeing her tear into you."

"This stupid plan has gone on for too long, they must be over it by now." He took a few steps back, squinted at the feline shape lying in the snow, then hit the snowball with everything he had. They watched it sail into the air and, as if the world had slowed, drop perfectly onto her head.

Crackingice's screech echoed. She launched herself to her paws, snow clinging to her face, and glared at Aspenthorn. He didn't care, he was too busy laughing. Even Eaglestrike was busy trying to smother his amusement. "I cannot believe you'd do that! Actually I can, you're such an insufferable little mousebrain."

"That was brilliant!" Fadedtail cackled, rolling out of the bush. "Beautiful!"

Thoroughly irritated, Crackingice shovelled a disheveled snowball together and sent it careening into Fadedtail's muzzle. "How'd that taste, traitor?!"

"Oh you didn't start this again did you?" Whitestream asked groggily.

"You bet we did," Eaglestrike winked. "Snowball fight!"

Utter carnage could only explain what occurred in the following moments. As if pursued by a whole pack of wolves Aspenthorn threw himself out into the open, kicking snow at whoever was close enough. Poor Smokefoot was woken by a snowball to the face. Whitestream launched herself at Crackingice, dragging her down into the snow, piling it on top of her while she complained loudly. A giggling Fadedtail hit Eaglestrike so hard with one he fell over. Sunrise's confusion lasted all of a few heartbeats before Aspenthorn threw one at her. It shattered against her side, chasing a gasp out.

"Oh it's on," she grinned, flicking a chunk of snow at Smokefoot as he sped by.

Snow flew everywhere. There were cries of cheating and accusations of teaming up. Aspenthorn declared himself better than everyone and was promptly buried. It was cold, and the snow stung when it hit, but Sunrise couldn't remember the last time she'd laughed so much. Seeing Eaglestrike smile again was wonderful, she was glad he had friends like this, even if she did miss their little family. She was beginning to understand that sometimes moving on was the best thing to do.

Of course, with snow flying and the game dissolving into play fighting, no one was looking up. That was until, over the noise, the heavy beat of wings reached their ears. By then it was far too late. The eagle, all shiny feathers and loud shrieking, shoved Fadedtail to the ground with its terrifying talons. She yowled, writhing in its grip, hissing and spitting. Unfortunately for the eagle it had chose quite possibly the worse time to attack. Six pairs of claws fought past smooth feathers searching for the tender flesh beneath. A panicked Eaglestrike batted away a hooked beak and sunk his teeth into its throat. A garbled cry tore free before the eagle stilled.

For a brief moment it was dead quiet. All eyes stared at the large bird not quite grasping what had occurred. Then Fadedtail wriggled free and cried, "we actually did it!"

"No way," Smokefoot muttered. "No way. That did not just happen. I refuse to believe their stupid plan worked."

"Well technically their plan didn't work. Our messing around drew it down," Aspenthorn sounded out of breath.

"Shut up we just caught an eagle don't ruin the moment." Crackingice nipped at his shoulder.

Whitestream's eyes were practically sparkling, "can you imagine the look on Amory's face when we drag this into camp? I can, it's fantastic."

"Yes! We're taking this back to camp right now," Fadedtail giggled.

Eaglestrike cleared his throat looking downright smug. "I think you're forgetting something very important."

"Did it scratch you a little?" Sunrise teased.

"I killed it," he purred.

Crackingice howled with laughter. "Eaglestrike the eagle killer! Oh that is never going to get old. You are never living this down."

It was extremely satisfying to see everyone's faces when they dragged the eagle into camp. Amory's was even greater. His jaw dropped. His eyes almost popped out of his head. Sunrise couldn't help but laugh. It was like he'd never seen such a big bird before. He met her eyes and just stared, lost. She just shrugged.

"How. Just, how?" Snarlingwolf was almost drooling.

"Magnificent planning," Fadedtail replied.

Sunrise hung back as they dropped the bird on the fresh-kill pile, choosing to watch rather than partake in the argument about how they would split it up to eat. No one would be going hungry tonight. Warmth settled beside her. Willowclaw looked awful; tired, haunted. An uncomfortable feeling settled over her when she noticed he was glaring at Eaglestrike.

"So you're talking to him again?" His tone was full of accusation and she didn't need to ask who he was talking about.

"Yes. Is that a problem?" she said slowly.

He grunted, "you know what he did. How can you talk to him?"

"Because he's family. He messed up and I don't think I'll ever completely forgive him for it but he is family." She reached up with a forepaw and pushed his muzzle till he looked at her. "He's your brother, Willowclaw. Don't let this ruin that."

"He's not my brother. We share no blood," he replied coldly.

"You were the one that told me blood did not matter. Or have you changed your mind? Have you forgotten who my blood belongs too? My parents, my blood, does not define me. We aren't family through blood. We're family through something much stronger," Sunrise hissed. "Eaglestrike is your brother. So fix this before it gets any worse."

"I'm not going to forgive him," Willowclaw snarled. "He's killed her."

Sunrise leaned against him. "Icepetal will survive this. She's too stubborn to die now."

"Will you check on her tonight?" he whispered.

"Yes."

When the Clans retired for the night with full stomachs and warm hearts Sunrise strayed to the edge, curling up on the ground with her eyes focused on the valley. Releasing the tension in her body she let her mind mingle with her shadows. They always knew what she wanted when the valley was concerned. She felt the leaves brushing against her shadow cats, the snow beneath their paws, and she could breathe in the scents of prey. Her stomach didn't complain this time. Icepetal was in the same place as she always was, just inside CedarClan's forest. The bush she resided in had a dusting of snow on its roof. Quietly her shadow cat peaked through a hole in the back of it.

On a bed of feathers rested Icepetal. She was fine, her sides rising and falling peacefully. There wasn't a mark on her from what she could see. Her heart ached. She wanted Icepetal to come home so much. But she couldn't. She had to stay away. The Elementals didn't seem to be hurting her. Maybe it was best for her to stay with them for the time being.

Comforted that Icepetal was safe, Sunrise withdrew from her shadows and settled back in her own mind, content. Drowsy, she might have fallen asleep out there and woken in the morning with a layer of snow resting on her shoulders. Her eyelids were heavy, her body tired. Sleep was waiting nearby. She would have given into it if it wasn't for the quiet sound of paws shifting through snow. It roused her enough to open an eye a little, searching the basin. Near the slope out she spotted the noisemaker. Amory, head down, walked as quickly as he could without alerting anyone. He hadn't seen her, black pelt making her invisible among the darkness. Clouds were thick that night and the moon wasn't very bright. She was glad for that.

Amory was sneaking around. That pushed her drowsiness right away. What was he doing leaving camp at night? He'd basically banned leaving camp at night that morning. Perplexed, and curious, Sunrise abandoned her spot by the edge in favour of following her mentor. A Noble paced the edge of the basin. They didn't see her when she slipped by cloaked in shadows. But they must have seen Amory. She arched a brow, finding his hulking silhouette following one of the usual patrol routes. His Nobles belonged to him after all. They weren't Clan cats.

It was quiet. She followed, her shadows wrapped around her. If he turned around he'd only see a patch of darkness smothering a tree or a rock. Where was he going? Was he just doing a late night patrol by himself? He didn't seem like the type to do that. The route became glaringly familiar when the cliff face on her left opened up further ahead, a hole in the stone, jagged stone teeth dangling high above. She closed her eyes and she could feel Ice's claws ripping down her head. The scars were still there. They weren't very pretty but she didn't care.

She expected Amory to turn around, it was the edge of their territory after all, but instead he picked his way down and through the hole. He was leaving. Quickly, but carefully, she made her way down the rocky slope after him, glancing up at the stone teeth as she passed underneath them - they were sharp. A river rushed nearby. Amory knew exactly where he was going. What was he doing? She thought he might have a secret stash of prey out here. He didn't seem very affected by the lack of it in their territory.

Through a patch of dead trees they passed, following the river as if it was their guide. It swooped and swerved, and then became a small lake. There, by the lake, Amory stopped. He leaned down, placing something on the ground. It was then, surrounded by dead trees and a lake in a strange place, that Sunrise noticed something she had missed. He had been carrying a feline in his mouth; a gray tabby shape.

Pebblepaw.

Sunrise bit back the surprised squeak that wanted to break free. He'd said Pebblepaw was missing! Yet here he was with her, clearly very much alive, by his paws. She wanted to shout at him, to demand why he'd lied. But a new scent in the air caught in her throat and she shuddered. Wolf.

It, long-legged and dark furred, strode lazily into view. Taller than Amory it dwarfed him when it stopped in front of him, grinning crookedly. Why wasn't Amory running? "You are late, cat."

"You gave me an extra day," Amory protested.

"Do you not see the moon? It has risen. You had your day. I did not give you an extra night. You are lucky I don't kill you here," it growled.

"Ja'zahr, you know you can't get what you want with me dead."

It's laugh was rough and wheezing. The moon slipped free of its cloud cover for a brief moment and Sunrise cowered close to the ground. Broad face, long muzzle, ears torn into strips, a mess of scars and bite marks making its face horrifying. She swallowed her fear.

"What makes you think I want that anymore? It is quite comfortable here. If we could just extend our reach through the hole...we would be very happy," Ja'zahr said. "I don't need you to take that."

"You don't want that. You and your pack would starve," Amory replied. He sounded scared.

Ja'zahr thrust his muzzle into Amory's face, "then I suggest you get a move on."

"I have an asset, two actually. They will help me get what you want. Just give me a little more time, okay?" he pleaded.

"Time, time, you always want more time. You are running out of extra time. My pack is tiring of the constant moving. You promised grand things, Amory. This is your last chance. We will not move again. Instead we will kill you and take what was promised to us. Do you understand?" Ja'zahr's voice took on a commanding tone.

Amory trembled. "Yes, I understand."

"Now. Shall we get to the more exciting part of our meeting?" His grin was toothy and his eyes fell to Pebblepaw. The apprentice was frozen with fear, mouth opened around a silent cry. "She is small."

"I can't drag a warrior out here, it would be suspicious."

Ja'zahr shrugged. "She will do." He leaned down, jaws closing around Pebblepaw. The feel of his teeth digging into her sides hurried a loud cry from the apprentice. She began to struggle, eyes searching for help that would not come.

"Amory!" Pebblepaw screamed, "Amory help me!"

He looked away.

Ja'zahr bit down and the cry Sunrise had swallowed before bubbled back up. She felt Pebblepaw's blood gush out of her body, spit from her mouth, ooze from the mouth she now dangled from. Deep inside her the feeling thrilled her. But it was buried underneath the overwhelming fear she felt as both their eyes fell on her. Her shadows had fled, the lapse in concentration loosening the ties.

The ground fell away between her paws at the same time teeth bit into her scruff. Her shriek was louder than Pebblepaw's. She was about to drain all the blood out from whoever had grabbed her when she looked at Amory. All the strength and power in her drained away. He was terrified. There was the blood of the apprentice he had just given away on his cheek. She went limp in her captor's grip.

They laughed. "This one has spirit. Did you not notice you had a follower?"

"You can have that one, Dra'hira. This one will do for me," Ja'zahr rumbled. "If you are trying to buy our favour you are doing it the right way."

"No," Amory spoke hoarsely, "not her. I will bring you another by you cannot have that one."

The wolf holding her abruptly dropped her onto the hard ground and pressed a heavy paw against her throat. Sunrise whimpered. Its paw was so large it covered her neck and shoulder. Glancing up she spied impossibly black fur.

"Why can't my lovely mate have that one? Do you fancy her? She's a little young for you," Ja'zahr leered.

"She's important, she's going to get what you want. If you kill her you'll never have it," Amory spat.

"Fine," Ja'zahr tossed his head.

Dra'hira removed her paw, but only after applying enough pressure to draw blood. "How can we trust her not to reveal all this?" she asked.

"That's easy." Amory wiped the blood off his cheek. "If it so much as looks like she's going to tell someone I'll kill her family."


	29. Chapter Twenty-Nine: Breaking Point

**Chapter Twenty-Nine: Breaking Point**

Her eyelids closed and on them appeared yellowed fangs, spattered with blood, bared for more. Long fur, endless ebony and gloomy gray mixed, _churned_. She gasped and the scent of death met the scent of wolf; they smelled the same, indistinguishable. Never before in her life had she felt fear as potent as she had lain on the ground before the two of them. Their eyes she would never forget, full of bloodlust and war. Monsters of the highest caliber. The Clans would not stand a chance against them. Her neck throbbed dully, dried blood crusted the wound. She tried to stifle her panicked sniffles but they wouldn't go away, and she hated the pitied look Amory kept giving her. Every time her neck twinged she wanted to shout at him. It was his fault. He'd given Pebblepaw away like she meant nothing, then looked away when she died screaming his name. Sunrise was sure she would have been given the same treatment if she was just a normal apprentice.

"Why did you follow me?" Amory whispered and for a moment she wasn't sure if he was even talking to her. Then he looked at her, scared and uncertain. She didn't like that look on him.

"I...I wanted to know why you were sneaking out," Sunrise mumbled. The outcome of the night had left her wishing she'd left Amory alone. Death had been whiskers away, breathing down her neck, and all because she wanted to know more about him. It was a stupid decision.

They were alone now, slowly making their way back to the basin. Ja'zahr and Dra'hira had dismissed them when it became clear that the excitement was over. It disgusted Sunrise to see Amory immediately obey them. He was a puppet, their puppet, and it was endangering the Clans he'd supposedly sworn to protect. She didn't even know what he'd promised them but clearly he was struggling to achieve it. It wasn't coincidence that he was now leading a broken band of cats. No way. So why?

"Well now you know," he replied glumly. "Learnt your lesson?"

"Icepetal was right about you," she shot back with a snarl. The lost she-cat had been right all along: Amory was nothing more than a lying foxheart using the Clans for his own gain.

He flinched, stunned, "what?"

"She knew all along," Sunrise said bitterly, "that you weren't good. She was right. You're an evil, evil cat."

"Being good doesn't get you want you want," he snapped.

"Tell me what you promised them," she demanded coldly.

Amory snorted and shook his head. "You don't need to know that."

A ferocious cry ripped free and Sunrise wrapped her shadows around his hindlegs, lifting him up. She flung him into a tree, pinning him there as she advanced, lips curled, teeth bared, growl thundering in her throat. "Tell me."

"Or what?" he laughed hoarsely. "You'll kill me? You don't have it in you."

"Have you forgotten who my parents are? Murder runs in my blood. I'd kill you without a second thought," she purred. Gently she tapped at his heart, letting her blood power flow. He gasped, eyes flying wide at the cold pinprick. She pushed harder and he squirmed, pained whine slipping free. "Don't make me ask again."

"You kill me and they'll kill you all. They don't care about you, or the others. They'll wipe out the Clans once and for all," he sputtered.

Sunrise laughed, high-pitched and loud. She felt her shadows swell behind her, consuming the night, flooding her pelt, leaking off her like water. The horror in Amory's eyes was beautiful. "Do you think I would let them? I will do anything to protect my family. They wouldn't stand a chance. So, I'll ask one final time, what did you promise them?" This time she squeezed his heart until he let out a strangled yowl.

"Fine! A long time ago I promised them territory rich with prey and safe from other packs. It was a bargain I had no choice in. They spared my life. Your valley is perfect, but it was inhabited when I found it. So I convinced the Clans to leave. I hadn't been expecting the Elementals. They ruined my plan and now I'm running out of time with nothing to give. Then you showed up," Amory smiled. "You and your power."

"So I'm your saviour am I?" she pressed him harder against the tree. "It really looks like that now doesn't it?"

He winced. "You need to kill the Elementals or they'll wipe the Clans out. I need you to do that or Ja'zahr will kill me. Our final goal is the same."

"My final goal doesn't involve giving the valley over to a bunch of wolves."

"Then kill the wolves, you'll be doing be a favour," he spat.

"If I kill the wolves now you'll disappear with your Nobles and our only healer," Sunrise mused. "The Clans would fall apart without guidance, the Elementals would sweep in and finish what they started, and everyone would die. Strangely enough that doesn't sound very appealing."

Amory writhed in the shadows grip. "What do you want from me then?!"

"Stay until I kill the Elementals. Then I'll kill the wolves and you can leave. The Clans get to return to the valley and live like they used to, and you get to survive. Sounds fair to me," she said.

"Deal."

"Oh, one more thing." She plucked a strand of his blood free and let it dribble out into the air in front of his nose. "Icepetal comes home. You do not execute her."

Breath heaving out in rapid gasps, Amory shook his head. "My rules are absolute. She broke one, she has to be punished."

The dribble turned to a stream and the shadows pressed harder. "On the other paw I could kill you here, destroy the wolves, take back the valley, and forget you ever existed. Now," her purr was icy, "that sounds just perfect."

"Okay! Icepetal doesn't get executed, I won't kill her. Put me down," he demanded.

"Wasn't that easy?" Sunrise laughed, removing the shadows keeping him from moving and banishing the rest back to their homes.

Amory rubbed at his chest - the spot where his blood had leaked from. He stared at Sunrise. "How did you do that?'

"You have your secrets." She threaded the blood over her head in a circle. "And I have mine."

"Did your mother teach you how to manipulate like that?" It was a barbed question, laced with venom, an insult as well as an inquiry. Sunrise frowned, did everyone think her mother had taught her things like that? She'd never; what occurred outside the mountain stayed outside the mountain.

She shook her head. "Crimson didn't teach me anything, except maybe how to pass the time shut up in a cave. Must be in my blood." Amory's splashed down to the ground, scarlet against white. It hummed quietly at the back of her mind, whispering, tempting her to take more. She swallowed thickly and strained to ignore it, despite how much she wanted to.

It looked like her best kept secret was out, unless Amory was stupid and thought this blood power was just an extension of her shadow power. She hoped he did. Looking back it might have not been the best decision, but it had got her what she wanted: Icepetal's safety and Amory's shaky cooperation. She released the thin breath she had been holding, nerves finally settling. As long as he thought she was in control and knew what she was doing then it would all be okay

"You have some potent blood running in your veins," he murmured, gingerly returning his weight to all four paws. "Makes me wonder how you ever managed to make it out of that mountain alive."

Sunrise eyed him coldly. It would be wasted breath telling him that blood meant nothing. "I had siblings you know."

"What?" Amory flicked his ears back, "you aren't the only offspring of Crimson?"

"No. I had two brothers, Willowclaw told me about it. They were the heirs she paraded in front of her army, but not to the rest of the world. I never met them, and they never met me, never knew I existed. Jinx killed one. Tornheart killed the other. No more heirs." Her grin was sharp, her tone bitter. "Until I showed up."

Head tilted to the right a little, Amory looked confused. "Jinx?"

"There's a lot you don't know about my mother and her reign over the Clans. Maybe you should learn a little of the history of your followers. It's not very pleasant," Sunrise snorted. "I'm sure Risingwhisper would be more than happy to fill you in."

"Ah, I don't think she likes me much," he said sheepishly.

"You did strip her of her healing position and make her an elder when she didn't want to be," Sunrise reminded.

"Marah is a highly experienced healer. The others were no longer needed." Amory was steadily returning to his regal self.

"Risingwhisper founded a Clan alongside her mate. She has been it's only healer since then. I think she is much more experienced than Marah. But you are the leader so it's your decision." Bored, cold, and still terrified of the wolves, Sunrise just wanted to go home. "I'm going back to the basin."

"Wait. This stays between us, okay? The wolves."

"The wolves, our deal, the little trick I showed you, it all stays between us," she agreed. "A dirty little secret for the Clans so called perfect leader."

"I thought you liked me." Amory sounded almost hurt.

Sunrise draped a layer of shadows over her fur to keep the cold out. "I did. But that was before you promised to execute a member of my family, and before I watched you hand over an innocent apprentice to be eaten."

* * *

Eaglestrike was running. The sun shone brightly in the sky, but it was a strange colour, orange tinged with a sickly red. It cast an odd shadow across the brilliant blue, clouds taking on smudges of blood. Though the sun shone with a fierceness he had not felt in a while the air was still cold, and a chilling wind shrieked all around him. It blew from every direction, icy and cutting. He could have sworn he felt a snowflake melt on his muzzle.

The forest he dashed through bubbled and boiled. It lived and died with each step he took, turning to ash and shooting high above him as if he was racing through time. Pale forest, dark forest, swamp, jungle. It never stayed the same. One moment he would be leaping from branch to branch, then the next he was struggling through a surging river. His lungs burned. Thorns bit into his skin. Rocks drove themselves into his paws. He could feel blood streaming free. Still he kept pushing. He could not stop.

Risking a glance over his shoulder he swallowed his scream. Darkness consuming all. Screams filled his ears. He didn't knew who was screaming but he wasn't about to stop and ask. He didn't want to find out what happened to those that were caught by the inky black. Faintly he wondered if Sunrise was finally giving him what he deserved. That was until a shape broke free of the darkness and grinned at him.

How could he ever forget her face? It haunted him daily. Had her eyes always shone that bright? The red was practically glowing. It looked darker too, more like blood. The darkness surged and then he saw what he was really running from. A great snake, hissing and spitting, awful maw opened to show off shining fangs. Its scales were the colour of the darkest night, light glinting off them. Crimson didn't seem concerned by it. She let it linger over her, monstrous, shadowing her.

Her smiled coiled strangely in his stomach. You see, he had gotten used to it. The hallucination he so frequently saw grinned that same toothy grin. So to see it there, underneath a monster, felt wrong. His step faltered and the snake lunged, huge body propelling itself forward to miss him by a whisker - so close he felt the air shift between them. A shriek caught in his throat, only a whimper made it out into the air. He wouldn't give her the benefit of his fear. Though, he glanced back at the mocking shine in her eyes, he knew she could feel it.

Beneath his paws the ground turned to cold rock, stone gray, in a flash. The sunlit, snow-dusted, ever changing forest dropped away in an instant. Cold walls, thick, impenetrable, lonely, replaced them. Claws clicking, he continued to run in the only direction that was given: straight. The stone walls refused to open up a different route. Scales scraping, the snake continued to pursue. The cackle of chilling laughter told him Crimson still chased as well. He bunched his muscles a little tighter and ran a little quicker. His lungs burned. His vision was blurred. Above, the sky turned to blood and the clouds melted away.

"Do stop running, dear Eaglestrike. We're friends aren't we? I thought we were friends," she cooed. "I have so many things to show you."

Don't answer. Don't answer. Don't acknowledge her. She's not real. You're dreaming. This is just a nightmare. Keep running. Keep running.

The floor vanished. His stomach shot up to his throat, and his heart froze. Twisting onto his back he met Crimson's gleeful gaze before he fell. The blood sky wrapped round him, the mountains stared down at him, and her eyes bore a hole into his soul. That great snake coiled around her like a pet. Choked back no longer the scream he had been hiding burst forth, hurled out into the empty air, his only accompaniment as he tumbled further and further. He closed his eyes and focused on the feeling of the wind buffeting him. It was almost pleasant, disregarding the fact that he was plummeting to his death.

Leaves broke his fall. Trees in fact, their branches snapping under him, leaves fluttering loose around him. They didn't break his fall very well. One branch thudded into his stomach so hard he spat blood. Another snapped a bone in his foreleg. His ribs shattered when he met the forest floor. In agony he curled in on himself, blood still dribbling from his lips and oozing from his foreleg. From the corner of his eye he watched the trees take a step back to reveal the sky above him. It wasn't blood red anymore.

It was black, speckled with stars, home to a moon and a sun. The sun sputtered almost uselessly, throwing a little light here and there. The moon was rich, white light bathing everything. The stars twinkled brighter than he had ever seen.

"Oh, you're alive. Fantastic." Her paw connected with his bruised stomach in a rough kick, and he groaned. "That was a very impressive fall."

Cracking open his eyes he glared up at Crimson. She looked bored. Rearing up over her was that snake, great fangs dripping. He released a long breath, chest aching. "What do you want? Isn't tormenting me when I'm awake enough?"

"You think her and I are the same? She's a hallucination, Eaglestrike. You dreamt her up. You keep her around. That Crimson is not me. She's a fake. The fact that she hasn't tried anything like this should have clued you in on that." Crimson's smile was sharp.

"You aren't the real Crimson either," he spat. "You're just a nightmare I dreamt up. I watched the real Crimson die."

She kicked him again. "So you say. Is that the truth though? Did you really kill me? I'm immortal, Eaglestrike."

"The sun rose over your dead body," Eaglestrike wheezed, "and the world was freed of your poison."

"Ah, yes. The great Chosen, white knights that rode in on the sun's last rays to destroy the darkness threatening to swallow the world. It's a little cliche, don't you think? Shame that's not really what happened. Have you forgotten your sweetheart?"

The sun released a bright pulse, vibrant and yellow, that sizzled across the night sky and dipped low to kiss the ground. Where the sun touched the trees vanished leaving a wide open chasm of scorched grass. Delicately, a fragile, weak ray alighted upon the grass. A silhouette, feline, emerged. Backlit by rich light he couldn't see who it was. Then they spoke: "it's been awhile, Eaglestrike."

Wide-eyed, heart perched in his throat, Eaglestrike tried to stumble to his paws. He was stopped by the agony running riot in his chest. "Littleflame."

There was no mistaking the flame-coloured pelt or the green eyes. His heart thudded painfully at the sight of vicious bite marks marring her head. He was reminded of her final moments, the dogs and the blood. She hadn't deserved to die that way. She hadn't deserved to die at all, neither had Rainpatch. They both should have come home with them.

"Have you missed me?" Littleflame asked quietly, shyly.

"We all have," he replied. He had, but perhaps not in the way she was alluding to. Shiverlight was his mate now. They had kits. Did she know that?

"It doesn't seem that way sometimes."

Eaglestrike jerked, "what?"

"You all seem to have moved on so quickly. How are you kits?" Littleflame's voice was bitter. "Does the memory of me keep you up at night? Or have you forgotten about me entirely? It was wonderful, you know, watching your entire attention be snatched away by that assassin. Tell me, Eaglestrike, did you ever actually enjoy my company or was I just a distraction?"

"What are you talking about? Of course I enjoyed your company and I'm sorry about the way things ended," he mumbled.

"Are you!? Do you want to know what the last thing I saw before I died was? It was that assassin standing where I was supposed to stand. You did nothing! You didn't even try to save me you just stood there with her and watched as I died. Did you even care!?" Littleflame howled.

Eaglestrike shifted into an awkward sitting position, battered body protesting. "I tried so hard to save you. I did everything I could!"

" _You did nothing_!" Her fur was taking on a red tinge. "I know you hated me. Just admit it."

"No!"

Crimson stepped into his vision, smug. "Admit it, Eaglestrike. Say it. You never even liked her. You just used her to pretend you were a hero, to pretend you were a decent cat. I know you, Eaglestrike. Littleflame was a toy. She loved you, and you tore her apart. Say it."

"That's not true," he protested. A niggling voice at the back of his mind told him he was lying. It was true. He'd been pretending. He'd needed to prove to himself that he wasn't his father. A weak little she-cat would have been the perfect project. Who cared how she felt about it?

"I can see your soul," Crimson purred. "It's as black as your heart. Now, say it."

"It's not the truth!"

"You can't lie to me. You can't lie to her. Well, actually, you can and did frequently. Did you ever tell her you loved her, Eaglestrike? Did you drag her hopes up that high? Tell me, did it feel good to see the heartbreak on her face when you were snuggled up to your new mate when she was being torn apart by dogs?" Crimson pushed.

Eaglestrike frantically shook his head. "No, no, no."

"Hey," Littleflame smiled, "I didn't know you were using me till the very end."

"This is boring." Crimson trotted over to Littleflame, tail flicking happily. "Why don't we just give him another chance, dear?"

"What are you doing?" Eaglestrike growled. He made to take a step forward but a low hiss from the snake kept him rooted to the spot. It flicked out its forked tongue, beady eyes fixed on him. From its mouth flowed thick shadows that, before he realised, tangled their way around his legs and secured him in place. "Crimson!"

A bark sounded, then another. Dogs. Eaglestrike felt his blood turn cold. They prowled into view, big and brutish, the same two from that day in the city. Heavy paws padded towards a calm Littleflame. Twin growls rumbled in their throats. Their lips curled back, yellowed teeth peeking through. Littleflame didn't move when they prowled by her side, fur practically brushing.

"Go on then. Do now what you failed to do that day. Save her life," Crimson demanded. "Prove to her that she mattered."

The shadows binding him coiled tighter. "I can't! Your snake won't let me move!"

"Snake? That isn't a snake, Eaglestrike. Why don't you take another look?"

Frightened, terrified of what he'd see, he turned his head to look at the snake once more. A pathetic whine slipped into the air. It wasn't a snake. She looked so little and innocent. All he could see when he looked at her was a bright smile and a beautiful heart. She blinked those mismatched eyes at him, and they were so cold. Her ear twitched and a shadow yanked his head back to Littleflame.

She did nothing when the dogs attacked. Her blood soaked everything. She screamed and screamed until her screaming tapered off into a sickly gurgle and he could not nothing but watch it again. His stomach rolled unpleasantly. Her head lolled, body following, splashing into her blood. The dogs continued, seeking out the soft flesh of her belly and tearing everything in it out. Her eyes sought out his and held them until they glazed over.

He felt nothing, only the faint sting of betrayal.

The shadow holding his head released and he snapped it back to stare at Sunrise. "Why?"

It was Crimson that answered. "She'll sit in blood for it formed her very bones. A child of blood, a daughter of death, forever cursed to drown."

The dream shattered, the scent of blood and death lingering in his nose even after he jerked awake. Beside him Shiverlight stirred in her sleep. He had watched Littleflame die again and he had felt nothing. Didn't that just confirm he was a monster? Quietly he wriggled out of the nest, casting a quick glance over his kits snuggled into their mother's belly. Did he even deserve them after what he had done?

Outside it was raining, heavy and cold. It soaked his pelt and chilled him to the bone. He didn't care enough to return to the willow leaves. Cold was what he deserved for the things he had done. He only made it halfway across the basin before he sat down, exhausted. His mind sputtered tiredly. He hadn't been strong enough to save Littleflame, or even realise that he was using her. Her death was his fault.

If he had been stronger his father wouldn't have been so ashamed of him. He wouldn't have needed to work so hard in order to make him a suitable warrior. If he had been stronger his mentor wouldn't have died. That was his fault too. Wrenfeather and Sparrowsong losing their father had been his fault. He was gone when his mother needed him. Her death was his fault. So was Sparrowsong's. His head was spinning. Who else had he let down? Rainpatch. Icepetal. Sunrise. Willowclaw too.

"I can give you strength."

His hallucination version of Crimson stared at him. "I can make you strong."

"You would do that?" Eaglestrike whispered.

"Of course. Anything for my friend," she said softly.

"No, no, no. That would mean letting you win and you can't win. You can't win." His voice was shaky. He wanted it. He wanted the strength she offered. "You can't."

She brushed her tail under his chin. "Eaglestrike, I wouldn't use you like that. Let me give you the strength you need to protect your family. Let me help you. I want to."

"Please," he mumbled. "Please help me."

"Eaglestrike?" He didn't know how much time had passed before Amory found him sitting out in the rain shivering uncontrollably. "Eaglestrike, what's wrong?"

He looked Amory in the eye, fully aware of how pathetic he appeared. "I let her win."


	30. Chapter Thirty: She Rises

**Chapter Thirty: She Rises**

In all the time Amory had spent with Eaglestrike he had never seen the tom look as broken as he did then. Eyes a stormy mix of gray and blue were unfocused, and a little hazy. His mouth was pulled into watery frown. The rain thundered down around them plastering their fur to their bodies. Eaglestrike's ribs stuck out a little. They were all starving but he more so. He shivered so violently Amory wondered if it hurt. _I let her win_. Who? Who was her? What had Eaglestrike done? He needed Eaglestrike to be strong, physically and mentally, if he was to leave the Clans in his paws after the wolves were killed. Where had the warrior with strong loyalties and unwavering strength gone? Who was this dishevelled, whimpering, mess before him?

"Eaglestrike," he tried again, gentler, "tell me what happened. Who are you talking about?"

"I just wanted someone to be proud of me." Eaglestrike stared up at Amory like a scared kitten. "It's all I've ever wanted. I thought...I thought killing Crimson would make everyone proud of me. All they cared about was the fact that I left. They think I abandoned them. Maybe I did. I should have stayed. They needed me." He shook his head, "I thought the other Chosen were proud of me. We've been through so much together. But then I ruined that too. Why did I have to tell Icepetal? _Why_? Now she's gone and Willowclaw won't talk to me and Sunrise won't forgive me. I let you down by giving all my attention to Shiverlight and the kits." Sniffling he said, "I just wanted to make them proud."

"Why does it matter what they think?" Amory said.

Eaglestrike snapped, "it's always mattered. I wasn't good enough for father so I had to make myself good enough for everyone else. All mother ever told me after he left was 'oh don't listen to them, what they say doesn't mean anything' but it always means something. She might not have cared what others thought but I do."

"Shiverlight. Your mate. Doesn't what she think of you overrule what everyone else does?" The rain was easing off.

"She's too good for me. She thinks I'm this perfect warrior. I love her. But she won't love me after she find out what I've done. How weak I've been," he spat.

What had he done? "Eaglestrike, please tell me what you did."

"You won't believe me. You don't even believe she's dead," Eaglestrike smiled and it was so fake. "No one does."

He knew who he was talking about now. "Did you really kill Crimson?" How could he have believed the bedraggled group of lost warriors when they stumbled into his basin claiming they'd killed the strongest cat alive? Sometimes he didn't even believe Sunrise was her daughter. He'd never met Crimson personally, never seen her power firsthand, but her darkness had reached even him in the grasslands - and he'd heard the stories. Awful stories. Sometimes when he was alone he admired the Clans for surviving this long.

"Why don't you ask her yourself?"

Amory blinked once, twice. "What?" Had he heard Eaglestrike right?

The rusty coloured tom grinned cold and sharp. "I said, why don't you ask her yourself?" His pretty eyes bled their colour, blood red replacing it. He shook away the fragility of his shaking shoulders, rising as if reborn. The pathetic aura turned into one of royalty. Amory had never met Crimson. Now he had.

"You're supposed to be dead," he mumbled stupidly. They were words he hardly believed.

Eaglestrike, no, _Crimson_ laughed. "I told everyone I was immortal," she purred, "but on one listened. There are many forms of immortality. The Elementals never grow old and can't be killed by normal means. StarClan lives as long as they are remembered. I found myself a cracked vessel and snuck a little of myself in. Eaglestrike just assumed I was a hallucination the poor dear. He doesn't know I've lingered in him since they killed my body. But now I am back."

Standing before him was the monster that had ruined the Clans. He'd heard the terrible things she and her soldiers had done before setting their sights on the city. A valley bathed in red hot flames. Callings when Clans grew too large. The destruction of their ancestors. Now Crimson watching him closely. Was she going to kill him after she was done gloating?

"What are you planning?" He might be using the Clans for his own gain but he was still their leader. They needed to survive long enough for Sunrise to finish her side of the deal. Though he supposed that wouldn't matter if Crimson killed them all tonight. A touch of a growl entered his voice, "what have you done with Eaglestrike?"

"Fond of him are you? He's still here but he is weak. It almost makes me sad to see one of the cats responsible for taking down my kingdom this broken." Her smile turned feral. "Then again, it's a wonderful sight to see. If I wish to give Eaglestrike his body back then he will return. Until then he is only a voice trapped within his own mind. This is my body now and it will be until I no longer have any use for it."

Amory felt tiny under Crimson's gaze. "He was supposed to be the next leader. Why are you telling me all this? I am not one of those Clan cats you had under your paw. I do not fear you." A blatant lie.

"Don't I? Count yourself lucky I have decided that you are useful to me. You would be dead otherwise. I know you feel no allegiance to these Clans, Amory. You might have Eaglestrike fooled but I have been watching for moons. There is an ulterior motive behind all this. I think we can help each other," Crimson said.

Now Amory was not stupid. He knew Crimson currently had nothing. Her kingdom was gone, her soldiers lost, her followers dead or against her. She needed friends and he knew what happened to her friends. Tornheart's scars were a testament to that. Trusting Crimson was a stupid decision. She'd kill him the moment he stopped being useful. Still, he was curious to see what she had to offer.

"Why should I trust you?" he demanded.

"I have no reason to hate you. You have done nothing to me. In fact you've made things a little easier for me. Besides, you're just like me," she winked.

He wasn't going to argue with that; he was using the Clans to get himself out of trouble. "You see, normally I would jump at the chance to gain the help of someone as powerful as you." He made sure his voice dripped sweetness. "Why wouldn't I want such a great cat on my side? But a lot has happened. There is someone much stronger than you, and she has already made a deal with me, one I doubt you could beat. I trust her more than I trust you."

"Fake bravery does not suit you, Amory. I know there is no one else stronger than me. Not even those Elementals could stand against me. Tell me, who is this she-cat you think is stronger than me?" Crimson cooed.

He loved having the upper paw. "Your daughter."

"My...daughter? Sunrise?"

"She's very manipulative when she wants to be, I can see where she gets it from. Lovely apprentice. Very loyal to her family, not you of course, her adopted family. I could see her fitting very easily into normal Clan life if it wasn't for that power of hers." The more he talked the more lost Crimson looked. "The Elementals call her a Shadowstalker and they are very scared of her."

Slack jaw snapping shut Crimson fluffed out her damp fur. "Well she was bound to be born with some sort of power. So my daughter has you working for her? Good girl. Like mother like daughter. What has she promised you?"

"I stick around until she takes the valley back, then she deals with a little pest problem of mine. So there is nothing you can offer me that will beat that. Try your cunning elsewhere, Crimson," Amory hissed.

It did not get the reaction he was looking for. Crimson just tilted her head to the side and smiled serenely. "I think you are forgetting one little thing. Sunrise is my daughter, my flesh and blood. Once she knows I am alive she will join me. Then you will be left with nothing to save you."

"Aren't you also forgetting something," he retorted. "You have returned at the expense of someone Sunrise cares for very much. You want to destroy what Sunrise has grown to appreciate. This is Sunrise's home now. This is her family. Besides, I am the only one who knows you have returned. Eaglestrike's body is the only thing keeping you alive." He was advancing on her now, pushing her towards the edge. "I could kill you and no one would know."

Crimson narrowed her eye and shoved at him. "I am done playing nice. We could have done this easily, Amory. Now we do it the hard way. I do not need your permission to make you do what I want. You will do as I say. You will work with me. When the Clans are gone then you can go wherever you please." There was an intense pressure growing inside his head, pushing and pushing until it felt like his head would explode. "I will kill you, Amory. I don't want to but I will. Work with me."

There really was no other way he was going to get out of this situation alive. "Fine," he gasped, "fine. I'll work with you." The pressure faded.

"Good. I knew you would see it my way," Crimson purred silkily. "You're a smart cat, Amory. This deal will suit you well. I'll see too it that you live to see the end of the Clans."

It was a strange feeling. He had gotten used to the Clans in his time leading them. In fact he quite liked some of them. Now he was giving a monster free reign to destroy them. But he couldn't think like that. He had to think of himself and Marah. "So, what's your plan then?"

"We need the Clans down in the valley."

Amory snorted. "I'll leave the Elementals to you then. Have fun."

"I set the Elementals on the Clans and I am not done using them yet. If Sunrise wants to kill them then we're going to let her. I want the Clans to feel safe and at peace before I tear that to pieces. That is where you come in. I want you to go down into the valley and pass on a message, an invitation, to Ice," Crimson explained. She was relaxed now, at ease.

"They have Icepetal. If I go down there to speak to Ice I risk Icepetal seeing me. That would ruin everything."

Crimson huffed. "Get her back then. Send a patrol with Sunrise. If they're as scared of her as you say then they'll hand Icepetal back willingly."

"No. Icepetal broke my most important rule. As far as I am concerned she can die down in the valley," Amory growled.

She rolled her eyes. "Just get her back, Amory. If she's offended you that much then I'll let you kill her later. Trust me when I say the ending will be worth it."

"You're going to need a lot more than a few Elementals and yourself to stop Sunrise and Tornheart. They'll kill you all without breaking a sweat." Concerned, Amory swept his eyes over the willow leaves. What if one of them was listening? He'd sent Sunrise back to her nest the moment they'd gotten back and he'd noticed Eaglestrike sitting out in the rain. She'd tried to stay but he had been firm.

"What little faith you have. The pests you are dealing with. They will help us."

Amory couldn't stop a rough laugh. "You do not know what you are asking. They will not give me anymore help. Next time they see me if I do not have what they want they will kill me. Then who will help you?"

"I am not an idiot, Amory, I can smell the wolves on you. How did you manage to get yourself caught up with a pack of wolves? Tomorrow night you will take me to see them. They will help us," Crimson said.

"How can you be so sure?" Amory asked skeptically.

"Death is a very good motivator."

"Fine. I'll take you to see them. Are we done here?" he muttered. This plan of hers was not going to end well. Someone would figure it out, probably Tornheart, and then she'd kill them both. He frowned.

Crimson looked smug. "We are. Before you know it you'll be on your way out of these mountains with no more problems weighing on those shoulders."

"Now that you're inhabiting Eaglestrike's body how do you plan on keeping up the charade around his mate and kits, and around your daughter?" Amory purred. "They're going to figure you out sooner or later."

Her smug grin fell. "Get down to the valley now, Amory. Find Ice without Icepetal seeing you. I'll deal with a patrol to find Icepetal. Don't get caught."

"Yes, your majesty." Amory bowed mockingly.

The red in her eyes faded to Eaglestrike's blue-gray. "Careful now, little leader. You're playing a dangerous game."

* * *

Sunrise woke to a pale morning, a paw shaking her awake, and a strange feeling rushing through her veins. It felt like an overflow of power, tingling and zapping. Unsettled she blinked sleep from her eyes and peered up at Willowclaw's surprisingly happy face. Groggily she pawed his face away muttering, "don't look so upbeat so early in the morning."

"It's nearly sunhigh."

Lurching upright, head protesting, she stared at him wide-eyed. "It's what?! Why was I allowed to sleep for this long!? Did you all just forget I existed for the morning? Will you stop looking at me with that dopey grin. I have not been awake long enough to deal with any shenanigans."

"Tornheart said you looked tired and to leave you alone but we gotta go now, Sunrise, so wake up fast," Willowclaw answered rapidly.

Clearly she had woken up in a world where nothing was wrong. "Go where? Can you please make some sense?" she whined.

"Amory's given us permission to go get Icepetal. We're going to bring her home, Sunrise!" he purred, bright-eyed and beaming.

 _Wait, what. That wasn't part of our deal. He'd agreed not to kill her when she brought herself home, not when we went and got her._ Sunrise snorted as she dipped into a long stretch. _Maybe he's finally decided to stop being such a foxheart. Wouldn't that be something?_

"Let's go get her then!" she shouted. Finally a wrong would be righted. Eaglestrike could apologise for what he'd done. Willowclaw would have Icepetal back and he would forgive Eaglestrike. Icepetal would still be in love with Willowclaw. They'd be a happy family again. Sunrise could hardly wait. The Elementals would not stop her from getting Icepetal back.

"We're finally going to see her again," Willowclaw said, bounding to catch up. He was grinning so widely it nearly split his face in two. She'd missed seeing his goofy smile. "I'm never letting her go again. We're going to talk this out like warriors and I'm going to say sorry and tell her how much I love her."

"I bet she's missed you so much," Sunrise replied, skidding out into the pale daylight. The sky was clear, beautifully so, a pure blue streaking above them. Beneath her paws the snow was thin and weak, more like slushy puddles. Maybe leaf bare was finally coming to an end. Had the world seen their struggles and decided to be merciful? She hoped so. The cold would start taking lives soon.

Willowclaw grinned. "I bet she's missed all of us." He cut in front of her and jerked his head to the left, "Eaglestrike's over there, he's leading the patrol."

"Forgiven him have you?" Sunrise asked cheekily.

"I want to leave this mess behind. I want us to be a family again. He screwed up, he knows that. An apology would be nice, but I'm not going to push for one," he admitted. "It's just not worth it."

"You sound like a mature warrior."

"I am a mature warrior."

"Could have fooled me."

"Sunrise!" Willowclaw sounded offended. "That is no way to speak to a warrior."

Laughing she flicked some slushy snow at him, dancing out of the way when he flicked some back. "Come on, slowpoke, I want to find Icepetal and bring her home." She raised her head and noticed Eaglestrike staring at her. The strange overflowing feeling she'd felt before came rushing back, this time stronger. It pulsed through her like another heart, flooding her body with strength. Mouth oddly dry she flinched at another cat brushing up against her.

"Tell me you feel it too," Tornheart whispered in her ear. Glancing at her Sunrise took note of her tight shoulders and tense expression.

"Yeah," she mumbled, "I feel it too. What is it?"

Tornheart shrugged, "I don't know but it's not good, and I can't figure out where it's coming from. Be careful down in the valley. This might have something to do with the Elementals."

"I'll keep an eye out for anything strange," Sunrise promised.

Nodding Tornheart said, "I'll do the same here. Good luck finding Icepetal. Bring her home, okay?"

"We will." She left Tornheart twitching her tail agitatedly to join up with Willowclaw and Eaglestrike. At the very back of her mind, in its darkest corners, she felt her shadow friend pacing. They were screaming that something was desperately wrong. Everything in her body was telling her to run and hide. But from what? The world was calm, almost peaceful. Amory slipped into the basin. He looked at her once, then looked at the ground.

"Who's the slow one now?" Willowclaw teased, cuffing her gently round the head. "The sooner we get going the sooner we can find her. Right, Eaglestrike?"

Eaglestrike didn't answer. Like before he was staring at Sunrise with an almost awestruck expression. Her name fell from his lips in a quiet whisper, so quiet that no one heard it. Then, as if struck, he jerked back. "Yeah, right," he agreed. "Let's go."

"Wait," Sunrise said, more than surprised when he flinched. "Are we the only ones going?"

Clearing his throat Eaglestrike answered, "Amory doesn't want a large patrol going in case things go wrong. They aren't exactly going to welcome us happily."

"Don't worry about it," Sunrise purred, brushing past him to trot briskly out of the basin, "that's what I'm here for."

Willowclaw broke into a lope to fall into place by her side. "Hey, when we get down to the valley can you search for her? Just to check where she is."

"Of course. She'll be fine, Willowclaw. The Elementals won't kill her, they're trying to use her as bait," she soothed. He was nervous, tail flicking, practically bouncing with each step. That was fine, she was nervous too. It had been over three moons since they'd last seen her storming from the basin. Three moons was a long time to be missing.

"We're falling for their trap," Eaglestrike snorted.

"Yeah, but we know it's a trap, so we can work around it. It'll be fine, I know how to deal with the Elementals now. We've traded enough blows over the last few moons," she smiled confidently.

They fell into an uneasy silence, on edge, ready for anything, Sunrise even more so. The feeling still had yet to disappear. It had lessened into any annoying buzz but it was still there and she wanted to know what it was so bad. Was it going to be a danger to the Clans? Was it going to put their rescue mission at risk? Whatever it was she wanted to be ready to face it.

The stone walls fell away to sloping mountain forests, damp with melting snow and smelling of new life. Brave leaves strong enough to have survived leaf bare hanging onto branches hung limply in the damp, shiny and brown. Willowclaw blended in seamlessly with the brown forest, tabby pelt melting into the trees. The forest was filled with the sounds of water droplets plinking onto leafmould. Birds twittered pleasantly high in the canopy, and occasionally there was the skitter of a mouse or squirrel across the leaves. Brown trees faded into sagging pine tree saplings, the beginnings of RisingClan's destroyed territory. Or rather, it should have been destroyed, instead the icy towers were slowly being surrounded by growing pine trees. A soft breath fell from Sunrise. They'd drifted away from the usual path into the valley - no one used it now that it was useless - but there was no mistaking RisingClan's territory. New life was growing to cover the scars.

Willowclaw reached up to bat at some of the pine needles, checking that what he was seeing was indeed real. Some fell loose and he sneezed as they tickled his nose. Real. Most definitely real. The valley everyone had marked as dead was returning. Releasing a quiet sigh Sunrise let some of the tension seep from her body. For now they were safe.

"Find her," Willowclaw said. "Find where she is."

A shadow cat materialised by her side, liquid shadow flowing, luminous eyes blinking slowly. It waited for its orders, for its reason to exist. "Find Icepetal." A guttural murmur was its answer and it slipped into the shadows the pine trees created, vanishing without a trace. Only Sunrise could track it, tucked away in its head watching through its eyes. It moved quicker and quicker, flashing through the valley without pausing. Her shadow cats did not tire. They lived to serve her and would die for her if she asked them too. Slowing it scaled a tree that sat high over the den Icepetal was confined to. When it shuffled through the leaves Sunrise's heart dropped. The den was destroyed. Icepetal's scent was cold. No one was around.

"Oh no," she murmured, furrowing her brow as her shadow cat floated to the ground. Something had happened, something bad. She found a little hope in the lack of blood. Twisting her shadow cat she found a scent trail, cold but still there. Terrified she ordered it to follow the trail.

"What, Sunrise? What did you find? Is she okay!?" Willowclaw cried. "Sunrise!"

Frustrated, Sunrise pulled herself out of her shadow cat to glare at him. "You know it takes all of my concentration to do this. Stop interrupting me. Icepetal's not where she usually is but I've found a scent trail. Calm down."

Casting a quick glance over at Eaglestrike she found him staring at her as if she'd grown a second head. "What? You've seen me do this heaps of times."

He just shook his head, "it's always a little strange to watch."

"Thanks," she muttered and sunk back into her shadow cat. It had left CedarClan's territory far behind, skimming around RogueClan's close to the river separating forest from island. She could hear its confused murmurs, little noises of question. Where was its target? Where was the cat so important to its master? Leaping over the river it landed softly in RisingClan. Sunrise nearly lurched back out of its mind. The scent trail was leading towards them. It snuffled a little, nose pressed to the ground, but the trail was definitely still there and definitely still going straight. There was another scent, but Sunrise couldn't tell who it belonged to. A gust of wind rattled over the shadow cat and Sunrise snarled. An Elemental was coming. Ordering her shadow cat to keep following she cut off her tie with it. It would be fine on its own.

Willowclaw was looking at her, face pulled tight with concern. "So? What's going on?"

"Icepetal's scent trail leads towards us but we can't smell it here so I can only assume she veered off at one point, probably towards the old path. You two head that way and look for her but _be careful_ there's someone else with her, I have no idea who it is," Sunrise ordered calmly. She was looking forward to finally facing down an Elemental when they weren't an entire mountain apart.

Eaglestrike stepped closer to her, "aren't you coming with us?"

"Nope. There's an Elemental coming, so I'm going to deal with that while you get Icepetal out of here. Hurry up before you're spotted!" she hissed at him, shoving him towards Willowclaw with her shoulder. "I'll be fine I can deal with one Elemental."

"If the Elemental starts to win will you promise to run away?" Willowclaw asked.

"Yeah, yeah, I promise, now go!"

They hadn't been gone very long when the Elemental crashed into view through the pine trees, panting heavily. Wind's fur was a mess, twigs and burrs caught in it. She looked up, saw Sunrise, and froze. There was a moment of confused silence, then she darted to the left in an attempt to escape. Sunrise slammed up a dark wall to stop her and she only just managed to stop without running into it.

"Okay," Wind sighed, "I really do not have time for this today, Shadowstalker. It helps you to let me go."

"How would it help me to let you go? Actually, don't even answer that, I don't want to hear whatever lies you've got," Sunrise snarled. She lashed out with a shadow, pointed and sharp, slicing through the skin on Wind's shoulder.

The Elemental reared back, crying out. "Fine! It solves all my problems to kill you here now. Sit still, little kit, and it won't hurt very much."

A blast of icy wind threw pine needles into Sunrise's face blinding her. Hastily rubbing them off with a paw she wasn't ready for Wind to knock her off her paws, claws raking down her side. Screeching, Sunrise kicked up with her hindlegs, hearing the _oof_ when they connected with Wind's stomach. They rolled over, Sunrise scrambling to stand over Wind, face twisted into a snarl. She ripped into Wind's unprotected belly with her claws while her teeth nipped at her exposed throat; all the while her mind was whirring. There was a reason Shadowstalkers were created to battle Elementals. She had realised this a few days ago when talking to her shadow friend. No one else could kill them, they were immortal. But a Shadowstalker could. She could. There was just a certain way she had to do it.

Sinking into the back of her mind she pinched at a vein running up Wind's foreleg feeling the blood burst out. The world pitched again as Wind knocked her over but she was up on her paws before the Elemental could dig anything into her stomach. She was not immortal, she could still die. But not today. Not here. Not before the Clans were safe and her family was whole.

Wrenching shadows free from the pine trees she threw them at Wind only to have her blow them away. Dark clouds were massing overhead. Blood streamed down Wind's leg, honey sweet to Sunrise's nose. She coaxed it into the air, forming it into a spike that Wind stared at, horrified. Sunrise laughed. The Elementals didn't know she could do that. Wind huffed out a quiet noise. "You have grown."

A thick mist fell over them turning the forest of trees into a forest of murky silhouettes. She couldn't see a thing. From her left Wind struck, claws leaving bloody rivulets in her flank, before withdrawing into the mist. Wherever Sunrise turned she was still blind. She tried to gather her shadows but they moved sluggishly in the murk. Another turn another strike, blood rolling free from her back. She whimpered, scared. Was she really not strong enough to kill just one of them? Teeth sunk into her haunches and she spun, forepaw raised, only to find nothing there. The air around her reeked of blood. Sunrise paused. _Of course_!

This time she reached out with her blood power. Wind's bloodied foreleg reached out to strike again but Sunrise was ready, spinning on her paws to catch her paw in her mouth teeth crunching bones. A shriek fell from Wind and the mist died. Her shadows reared up and rolled over Wind, throwing her into a sapling. It snapped under the sudden weight, sprawling out across the ground. Wind stumbled out of the pine needles, blood streaming from a cut on her forehead. Her pale eyes narrowed, squinting against the blood dripping over them.

The wind howled and the fallen sapling smashed into Sunrise, burying her under needle and bark. Her body ached, something inside screaming in pain. A thin branch had sliced through her ear. The bulk of the sapling rested over her back, not heavy enough to cause concern for broken limbs but enough to keep her pinned. Frantically she wriggled and writhed. If she stayed trapped Wind would win. She threw her shadows out, wrapping them around the trunk and straining to life it. A stick whizzed across her muzzle slicing open skin. Blood splashed up her face.

Wind stood over her, growling low in her throat. "You are an idiot, Shadowstalker." A pressure bloomed around Sunrise's throat and tightened, cutting off airflow. A panicked whine slipped free. Her lungs started to burn. "Hyped up on the belief that you are stronger. You are a kitten. Not some glorious hero and thus you will not receive a death worthy of a hero. Your friends will find you here, pinned under a tree, dead."

Sunrise tried to heave in a breath only to choke on it. "No," she wheezed, "I am not the idiot here." She squeezed Wind's heart tight and thrust pointed shadows into her body, spearing the thudding heart. Wind opened her mouth around a high-pitched shriek. A terrified look entered her eyes. The shadows pulled apart. Wind dropped like a stone. The pressure choking Sunrise disappeared and she sucked in a loud breath. She dropped her head onto the blanket of needles, just breathing in and out.

Her eyes fixated on Wind's slack face. Pale eyes were glazing over. Blood dribbled down her face. More soaked the ground around her body. Sunrise expected to feel victorious. She'd done it. She'd killed an Elemental. Instead she just felt hollow, tired, and sore. Among the pine trees she lay, silent, almost waiting for Wind to rocket back to her paws. She would not.

Beside her the pine needles shifted, her shadow cat returning. It stared at her, luminous eyes concerned, quiet murmurs filling the silence. Gently it nudged the sapling off of her back and she sighed. "Thank you. Did you find her?" It nodded. "Okay. Show me the way."

It was a very slow walk. Sunrise limped a little, hindpaw too sore to put any weight on. She loathed having to explain this to Marah. The medicine cat would have her tail for being so irresponsible. Pine trees faded to brown mountain forest, split in half by the path snaking up towards the basin. Everyone's scent was strong there, even Icepetal's. Sunrise allowed herself a little smile. They'd done what they'd needed to do. Icepetal was coming home.

They turned a sharp corner and Sunrise slammed right into the back of Willowclaw. "Sunrise!" Eaglestrike shouted, nosing her gently, "you were supposed to come find us if it got too much!"

Croaking out a weak laugh Sunrise answered, "it got too much when she had me pinned under a tree. She's dead. Wind's gone. I did it."

"You killed Wind?"

Sunrise snapped her head up and swallowed a surprised shout. Further up the path supporting a weak Icepetal was Fire. That wasn't the worst of it. In his mouth he was carrying two little kits. Another one rested on his back. Icepetal was carrying three others.


	31. Chapter Thirty-One: A Flame Reborn

**Chapter Thirty-One: A Flame Reborn**

"You killed Wind?" Fire repeated. His voice was muffled around the scruffs of the tiny kits he was holding. They shivered and mewled pitifully. Sunrise nearly missed what he'd asked, so focused on the little bundles. Were they...Icepetal's? Surely not.

Absently she nodded. "Yeah, I did." Then the realisation that another Elemental was standing in front of her with a weak Icepetal crashed down around her. "I'll kill you too if you don't put those kits down and let Icepetal go."

Fire looked distraught. "I don't understand, why did you kill Wind? She was helping."

"Why did I kill Wind?" Sunrise snorted, "isn't that a bit of a stupid question? She's a danger to the Clans, _my_ Clans. She had to die."

"Cyrith," Icepetal murmured, "we have to hurry."

Beside her Willowclaw startled. "Who's Cyrith? You need to get away from Fire, Icepetal. We need to get you and those kits back to the basin. Okay?" His words were wasted on ears that clearly weren't listening.

Fire leaned closer to Icepetal and spoke to her gently, "I know, we're going."

"Stop!" Willowclaw thundered. "Where are you taking her?"

Frustrated, Fire snapped, a flicker of a flame dancing on his tongue, "I'm trying to take her back to the basin so your healer can look after her. I didn't risk my life getting her away from Ice just to let her die in the mountains. Do you have a problem with that?"

A growl vibrated in Willowclaw's throat. "Yes, I do have a problem with that. Why would the enemy help their prisoner escape? I think this is all an elaborate plan. Let. Her. _Go_ ," he demanded. The long fur on his spine was bristling; his tail twice its size. He was angry, and he was frightened.

"Look" - there was a pleading tone in his voice - "I need you to understand that I am trying to help. Icepetal is sick, and weak. She needs to see your healer. Her kitting took a toll on her body. Please, help me get her to safety."

All of Willowclaw's breath left his body in a big woosh. "Her kitting? Those kits are hers? How? She wasn't pregnant when she left and she hasn't been stuck with you for long enough."

Fire's laugh was dry. "She was pregnant before she left. You were all just too tangled up in your own lives to notice. Are you going to help me now? These kits are heavy."

It seemed to hit Willowclaw then that those kits were his. A look that plainly said 'mine' flitted across his face. Whatever concerns he had previously were thrown to the wind. The kits were his and he would make sure they survived. Icepetal was alive and nearly home. That was all that mattered in that moment. Fire could be dealt with later. He crossed the invisible threshold between them and took the kits resting on their backs, so gentle and careful not to hurt them.

Sunrise glanced at Eaglestrike certain that the surprise in his eyes reflected her own. For now they would work together with the enemy. What would happen after was a mystery and a matter for a later occasion. Before she caught up with the others she stared back into the valley. Wind's abandoned mist floated lazily. Her body was hidden within it. She wondered if the other Elementals would bury her or if her body would be left to rot.

"I can see why Icepetal is so smitten," Fire purred to Willowclaw. "Handsome." It was paired with a smirk and a lecherous wink.

Willowclaw nearly dropped the kits he was holding and Eaglestrike bit back a surprised mew; Sunrise just blinked. Clearing his throat Willowclaw hissed, "this really is not the time or the place for comments like that."

Grasping for anything else to talk about other than that Eaglestrike asked, "why did Icepetal call you Cyrith?"

Fire's amber eyes flicked back to him. "It's my name. I had a life before all this, you know - didn't come out of the womb spitting flames. In fact I don't even think I'm from this world."

"Eh?" Sunrise exclaimed. "What do you mean you're not from this world?"

"The four of us were exiled to this world for crimes we committed in another, I think. I'm not quite sure, it was a very long time and the seasons tend to blur together. I do remember an arena though, and a soldier fighting for a princess's paw." He shrugged. "Where I came from or who I was isn't important anymore."

"Are the others in your world the same as you? Do they all have the same powers you have?" Willowclaw pressed.

Fire shook his head sadly. "No. We are as much an oddity over there as we are here. I doubt we will ever get to see that world again. We were imprisoned here for a reason. They don't want us back."

Icepetal spoke up in a wheezing tone. "Then they mustn't have known you very well."

"How are you feeling?" Willowclaw asked quietly. He was looking for any sign that she might have forgiven him.

The weak smile she gave him was enough. "I'm much better now that I'm free."

Fire purred. "Let's get you home then."

"Why didn't you kill her?" Eaglestrike interrupted. He was hanging back, walking by himself, a storm cloud resting over his face.

Caught off guard, Fire hesitated. "I have done many things that I regret; murdered entire kingdoms, burned great forests to the ground, destroyed countless families. I would rather not think about the many kittens I've killed before their lives could truly begin. So when Wind told us Icepetal was pregnant I made a choice, to not kill. It's a little late to work on redeeming myself but I'm tired of living only to kill. Ice might enjoy it but it's no longer for me. I think Wind might have felt the same. Earth follows Ice because it is all he has ever known."

"You're finished killing?" Sunrise questioned dubiously.

He cracked a little smile. "It might be hard to believe, but yes. Once Icepetal is safe I'm leaving the valley and the mountains. This world is new to me. I would like to see more of it."

They have to stop at one point to let Icepetal rest. Her breath rattled in her chest and her limbs trembled. Still, the smile she gave her kits when they strained towards her belly was warm and happy. Gently she nudged the smallest kit closer, drawing her tongue lightly down its back. Sunrise couldn't shift the wide grin on her face. Icepetal looked like a natural mother.

"Have you named them yet?" Sunrise asked quietly. She noticed Willowclaw perk up and shift closer, purr rumbling in his chest. They created a circle around Icepetal; Fire peering over her back and Eaglestrike admiring the kits from a distance. Sunrise could have sworn she saw a grinning blue-pelted tom and a little flame coloured she-cat standing nearby.

Icepetal nodded. She nosed the largest of the kits, a tom-kit with outrageously fluffy gray fur that mirrored fat rainclouds. "Stormkit." Beside him mewls a white she-kit, pure save for the little brown spot over a closed eye. "Snowkit." A tabby brown tom-kit rolls onto his back, white throat flashing in the sun - his fur is short and sticks up randomly. "Thrushkit." He rolls into his sister, her fur a mix of soft white, and brown tabby patches. "Blossomkit." Nestled comfortably in the fur around Icepetal's neck is a tom-kit that could have been a tiny version of his mother if he had have had a brown tail as well, instead there was only a splash of tabby brown at its end. "And, Rainkit."

She glanced up at Willowclaw. "I left the last one for you to name," she sounded almost shy, "if you'd like."

It was a miracle that Willowclaw didn't shoulder Sunrise out of the way in his eagerness to reach his kits. "I would love to." The last one was the smallest, tiny body tucked up between his siblings. He had soft brown fur and dainty little white paws. A few lighter brown spots were scattered over his haunches. Willowclaw reached in gently and ran his nose down the kit's spine. "Littlekit. What do you think?"

Icepetal nudged her muzzle against his. "It's perfect."

"I think Rainpatch and Littleflame would agree," Eaglestrike said quietly.

They didn't speak of the two Chosen Sunrise had never met. The wound was still fresh, they still mourned. Apparently they had been mislead to believe that they would all make it home alive. Sometimes they shared stories, little things that had happened in the world outside the valley. It made her want to meet the two that had died. She flicked her gaze over to where she had seen the faint feline shapes. They were no longer there. Were they watching over their friends from the stars?

Willowclaw cleared his throat, snagging Fire's attention. "Thank you," he said.

"What are you thanking me for?" Fire flicked his ears back, surprised. "I haven't done anything worth thanking."

"You helped Icepetal. She might have died without you. So, thank you," he admitted sheepishly.

Icepetal purred weakly. "He's right you know. You've done so much for me."

Looking positively bewildered Fire opened and shut his mouth like a fish before he decided his paws were _very_ interesting. Almost silently he replied, "I did everything I could to ensure she survived." A cheeky grin twisted the corner of his mouth. "Despite how stuck-up she is, she kind of grew on me."

"Why did you do it?" Sunrise asked. "Why did you betray your family for your enemy?"

Fire let his gaze linger on the kits. "You need to know that the Elementals aren't a family. We don't necessarily like each other. If it wasn't for the world pulling us together we would go our separate ways. Ice is a monster, and I was too. But someone changed that. They showed me what living really means. What I was doing, that wasn't living, and I want to _live_. When Earth brought Icepetal to Ice I thought she was going to die. Then Wind stepped in and told us she was carrying. We didn't want to kill unborn kits so Ice gave Icepetal up until a moon after her kits had been born, then she'd kill her. It's been a few days since the kits came. Wind and I decided we needed to get Icepetal out of the valley before Ice killed her and the kits. So we snuck them out, and here we are."

"So Wind was helping." Sunrise swallowed uncomfortably, suddenly feeling very guilty and very conflicted. The Elementals needed to die, they were evil. But could they still be called evil when they were helping? Fire was sitting behind Icepetal, within whiskers of new life, doing nothing but protecting them. That wasn't evil. Wind had helped Icepetal escape death. That wasn't evil. So did they need to die? Perhaps not. But Wind was dead, and she had killed her.

"Don't feel bad," Fire said. "You are doing what you were created to do. No one can hold that against you. I can't speak for what Wind would have done after this. She might have returned to Ice and pretended she had nothing to do with it. She might have left the valley like me. You might have done the right thing, you might have done the wrong thing. Lingering on the possibility that your actions were wrong will only twist your mind."

Sunrise blinked at him. Her entire reason for being created was to destroy the tom standing in front of her. But she didn't want to. She didn't look at him and see a monster. Did that mean her reason for living was wrong?

"We need to get back," Eaglestrike interrupted. "Icepetal needs to see Marah."

"He's right." Willowclaw lurched to his paws then leant down to pick Blossomkit and Littlekit up. Fire scooped up Stormkit and Thrushkit, leaving Icepetal to take care of the last two.

Heavy clouds rolled steadily above them, thick smears on a soft blue sky. It was a beautiful day, not too warm and not too cold. The harsh chill of leaf bare was finally moving on. Sunrise could hardly remember what the mountains looked like when they weren't doused in snow. It was starting to melt away now leaving puddles dotted all over the place; freeing puddles that she didn't like accidentally stepping in. Often they were hidden under a layer of leaves like traps. Slowly the forest melted away to a sporadic trees growing stubbornly out of hard rock. From where they were they could see the magnificent willow tree that sheltered part of their home. It swayed in the mountain breeze, a beautiful giant.

Two Nobles stopped them at the lip of the basin. Iera, silver fur long and curly, eyed the group curiously. Brutish, fur the colour of smudged ash, Reyor just snorted. "What trash have you dragged back with you this time?" Then his eyes touched on Fire and he released a panicked yowl, "you bring the enemy into our very home?!"

Eaglestrike swiftly put himself between the Nobles and Fire. "He has given up his old life and is no longer a danger. Let us through."

"No way. We are not letting him into our home once more. He killed Sarff," Iera hissed.

"Icepetal needs to see Marah immediately. She's very sick," Eaglestrike pressed. "If you don't trust Fire, then trust Sunrise to keep him from hurting anyone."

Reyor shared a look with Iera and sighed, shoulders sagging a little. "Fine, but if this goes wrong it's on you. Amory might like you but that does not give you permission to break the rules."

"I know."

In the basin things when from bad to worse. Only two patrols were out. The rest of the cats were in camp, lounging in the beautiful weather sharing tongues. It would have been a peaceful afternoon had the Chosen not arrived home with a missing warrior, six kits, and an Elemental in tow. Confused silence fell quickly. Amory was woken up from his nap by Wrenfeather, eyes blurry with sleep. The silence fell away to quiet murmurs. What had the Chosen done now? The question was literally dripping from everyone's tongues.

"I see you managed to find Icepetal," Amory yawned, shifting to his paws. Wrenfeather followed him. "I can also see six kits and an Elemental. Very strange company. Would you care to explain why they are here, Eaglestrike?"

Eaglestrike stiffened, eyes narrowing. "The kits are Icepetal's. Fire helped her escape and was escorting her back to the basin when we found them. He...he is no danger. In fact he told us he is planning on leaving the valley."

Icepetal suddenly let out a tiny mew, then slumped to the ground, Rainkit and Snowkit falling from her mouth. Her eyes fluttered shut. Fire shot forwards, kneeling down next to her head. "Icepetal!" he shouted, " _Icepetal_!"

Shifting to make sure Rainkit and Snowkit were okay, Willowclaw wrenched his neck around to spit at Amory, "get Marah!"

Amory reacted immediately. " _Marah_! You are needed! Icepetal has collapsed and she's recently had kits!"

The elderly medicine cat flung herself out of the willow leaves not a few heartbeats later, a bunch of herbs clutched in her mouth. At her heels was Redflower. As soon as the herbs were out of her mouth Marah was barking orders in her usual rude tone. "Take the kits into the warmth, Willowclaw. If you have no idea how to be a father I am sure Shiverlight can help you. Wrenfeather stop standing there gawking like an idiot apprentice and help him, thank you." There was no questioning Marah. What she said was to be obeyed.

Still, Willowclaw attempted to protest. "No, I am not leaving her. I only just got her back, I won't lose her again!"

Marah softened her tone only slightly. "Do as I say, Willowclaw. You standing over me will not help. Trust me. I will not let her die."

"Please," Willowclaw pleaded, gathering up his kits and giving a few to Wrenfeather, "please help her."

"Alright, Redflower, what can you tell me." Marah shifted back into bossy healer instantly.

Redflower answered quickly, "her breathing rattles in her chest. She feels very warm. Her heartbeat is slower than it should be."

"Fever perhaps," Marah murmured. "Possibly a cold that grew worse due to the strain of giving birth. Feverfew, Redflower, _now_. Borage leaves and coltsfoot too." When she realised everyone was still watching her she frowned. "This is why I treat sick cats in the privacy of my den. Quit staring! Go back to arguing about what you plan on doing with an Elemental in the middle of the basin."

That seemed to bring everyone's worries crashing back down. Curious eyes became scared, focusing on what they all assumed was a monster sent to kill them all. However all they saw was a ruffled tom-cat watching Marah work with what looked like fear. Not quite the monster that had brought flames barrelling into their home moons ago.

"Are you going to kill him, Sunrise?" Amory inquired.

Sunrise flinched. "No. He says he's done killing and is planning on leaving the valley. But if it makes you feel any better I did kill Wind."

"You did _what_?" Tornheart snapped. "What happened to being careful!?" She was slowly making her way over to Icepetal, a green glow sitting pretty in her eyes.

"I thought she was going after Icepetal, so I stopped her. We got into a fight and I killed her," Sunrise curled a shadow around her tail. "But I think I might have done the wrong thing. She wasn't trying to harm Icepetal she was helping."

Tornheart allowed a flicker of her power to touch Icepetal's shoulder, though her eyes still remained on Sunrise. "How did you kill her? They are supposed to be immortal."

Sunrise stifled an amused huff. Of course no one else would care that she was concerned about just how evil the Elementals might be. All the Clans saw were awful cats. "I'm a Shadowstalker, aren't I? I was created only to kill them so I am the only one that can. Something to do with my power I guess."

"That is fantastic," Amory cooed. "Now we know how to kill them! Demonstrate it on Fire, Sunrise."

"What? No, I'm not killing him," Sunrise snapped.

"Surely you don't trust him? He could be lying about leaving the valley to keep him safe until he walks out of this basin and then burns us all to death. Surely you don't expect us to leave this to chance? He is an Elemental. He is responsible for so much death. Kill him, Sunrise," Amory ordered.

Eaglestrike glared at Amory. "I told you he wasn't a danger."

"I am the leader here, Eaglestrike." Amory's voice was tinged with anger, and something else. "I make the decisions. Fire is an Elemental and should pay the price for his actions."

Fire slipped away from Icepetal unnoticed until he placed himself in front of Amory. Standing in front of the large golden tom he looked small, so different from how he had first appeared that night, dripping in flames. "I know that I have done terrible things and I wish I could take back everything that I have done. But I can't, and I hate that. Icepetal is home safe, that is all I wanted to see. So I will do what I told the others: leave. There is nothing in this valley for me anymore," his eyes fell to Icepetal, "and no reason for me to stay."

"How can we be sure that this is not a lie? That you will not return to your friends after you are allowed to leave?" Amory curled his lip. His distrust of the Elemental was so obvious Sunrise could nearly smell it.

A long breath left Fire's lungs. He looked apprehensive, and a little frightened. "There is one thing I can do. It scares me but I think it is time to let go of this life entirely." He wasn't talking to Amory anymore. He was talking to Sunrise. "It is something only you can do but can only be done with my permission."

"What?" Sunrise murmured.

"You can take away my power."

"I can what?" she exclaimed, eyes shooting over to Tornheart. She was staring at Fire as if he'd suddenly sprouted wings. "How!?"

Fire drifted closer. "It can only be done if I willingly give my power up. That's why you can't use it to stop the others. I am willing to give up my power to move on. If you're willing to take it away, of course."

"What happens to it once I take it away from you?" Sunrise was curious. It sounded like the perfect solution. Could it be so easy to free Fire? To let him live the life he wanted?

"It can be passed onto a willing creature, or it can be allowed to simply disappear. The earth will take it back until it is needed once more. The safer option, really," Fire laughed. "Do you want to try it?"

Sunrise nodded eagerly. "Yes! Yes, let's do it!" She had gotten used to looking for Tornheart when it came to her powers but this time she did not. This was going to work regardless of what Tornheart had to say about it. "How do I do it?"

"Ask the shadows. They know what they are doing. The rest is up to me." Fire touched his nose to her forehead. "Thank you."

"This helps me just as much as it helps you," Sunrise reminded, then closed her eyes and sunk into the back of her mind. Her shadows rushed up, writhing against each other to reach her first, inky black tendrils curling around her body. They whispered quietly, wondering why their enemy was standing so calmly before them.

"Take it away from him," she whispered. "Take his power."

In a noise similar to that of the wind rushing over the peaks they leaped from her and streaked to him, rushing up to encase him in darkness. The brightness of his pelt disappeared. His amber eyes shut. A fragile, thin strand stretched back to Sunrise, latching on to the skin above her heart; connecting them. The strand pulled taut and then she was sharing his mind, hearing everything he thought. Could he hear her too?

" _I can_."

Startled she nearly severed the connection between them but a low, soothing purr vibrated its way down the strand and into her.

" _It's okay. I can only see the things you let me see_."

A vision of vast grasslands burned orange by a harsh sun appeared on her eyelids. From the grass rose a great pile of rocks on which a lanky, tawny feline rested, napping comfortably despite the sweltering heat. From within the rocks emerged two kits, laughing with each other as they swatted a pebble with their paws.

" _The place I was born_ ," Fire explained. " _Will you show me yours? You don't need to, but a little trust makes the process easier_."

Almost without her permission the burnt grasslands were swapped with impenetrable rock walls, bleak and dark, and the awful feeling of confinement. Chilling darkness replaced the sweltering heat. A small kit was curled up tightly in one corner, afraid and cold. This had been her life before the Chosen had found her.

" _Such a cruel place to keep a kitten_."

" _Mother had no choice. It was to keep me safe_."

" _Were you scared_?"

" _I had only the darkness to be afraid of and eventually the fear of that faded too._ "

A quiet laugh floated over to her. " _When I first realised what I could do I was afraid of it. I hated fire. It scared me."_ Her bleak cave was replaced with the same grassland as before, only now it was burning _. "When I got too angry one day and burned everything I realised that I could not be around others. Solitude was my only safety._ "

" _Yet you found the others_."

" _Ice found me._ " A forest became ash before her eyes, and a young Fire stood amongst the devastation, distraught and boiling with self-hatred. Through the destruction Ice walked without fear, spreading her chill with each step. She was younger, less terrifying. " _Another attempted home, another reminder. She took me away, taught me that we were not allowed such trivial things as family and love. I felt like I belonged somewhere finally, moving through the world beside her, taking what we wanted, razing the rest to the ground."_

A young Earth, bruised and bloodied, hidden beneath a tangle of roots that did not belong amongst the pebbles of the shoreline. The river bubbled by almost soothingly. " _He looked at Ice as if she was his saviour. He will follow her till his death_." Wind stood regally on the edge of a cliff, her element howling around her. The clouds above her head rolled violently, a storm waiting to be unleashed. " _She thought herself to be a god, made up some story about a Creator tasking us all with the responsibility of destruction so creation could start again. Made her feel better about the awful things she had done before she had control over herself._ "

" _Everything between that point and the battle with LightClan and DarkClan is fuzzy_ ," he admitted.

" _Had you met any other Shadowstalkers before then_?"

Sudden flashes of brief battles, shadows rising in great waves only to crash upon walls of thick ice, flames so hot they melted flesh from bone, the land turning on its inhabitants with loud groans, and storms so violent they left fissures in the earth for seasons. " _Many, but none were as strong as the first one we met in this world, and even he was not as strong as you_."

A grand plain bloomed like a flower, dark forest smudging one end. It was void of life but she knew there were cats watching, could feel their eyes. The Shadowstalker of this world was a scraggly looking tom, black pelt messy and missing in places. His eyes were feverish, and an ugly shade of yellow. He raised an army of hideous beasts, pure shadow and horror, with a flick of his tail. They simply were not ready to face someone as powerful as him.

 _"It was the first time I had ever seen Ice truly afraid of dying. In her fear she used too much of her power. She killed him, yes, but then she froze the battlefield solid. I don't know how long we were stuck in that ice. Too long_."

Crimson's face, warped and out of shape through the ice, floated by next. She was saying something but it was distorted, hard to hear. " _She would free us and we would be her secret weapon. For our freedom we traded your deaths. It didn't seem like much at the time. It does now. I had a long time to think in that ice._ "

They were in the valley now, in a place Sunrise had not been to. There was snow beneath their paws and thin trees above their heads. In front of them was a feline, her face blurred. Fire was keeping her identity hidden, a secret he did not want to give up. " _She changed what I thought of the Clans, of this world. If this was another life perhaps I might have stayed for her._ "

" _Who is she?_ "

" _No one you can ever know._ "

" _Do you love her?_ "

" _Of course, but that doesn't change anything. I can't be selfish this time. She has everything she wants now, she's happy, and that's all that matters to me_."

Down the strand came a sharp sting of pain that lanced straight through her heart. " _Fire. I think you're very brave_."

" _I only wish I could be as brave as you, Sunrise._ "

" _Are you scared to lose your power?_ "

" _A little. It is all I have ever known. For a little while I might miss it, but it will be worth it to finally be free. Shall we?_ "

" _If you're ready._ "

" _I am_."

There was a blinding light fuelled by thousands of flames burning at once, lighting up the darkness of their minds and sizzling across the strand that connected them. She could hear Fire crying out, pain rocketing through him. Her shadows were stripping him bare, sinking deep into his very soul to leach the flames from him. Its shockwaves rattled her, gripped her lungs and squeezed until she could not breathe. The flames dimmed and died off one by one until only a single, little flame was left alive. It wavered once, twice, then went out.

" _Thank you…_ "

The connected between them snapped so suddenly it sent Sunrise toppling onto her haunches, head spinning. Groaning she fluttered open her eyes expecting to see a shock of fiery fur still standing in front of her. Instead all she saw was soft brown. The stranger standing in Fire's place blinked open eyes that were dark green instead of hot amber.

Sunrise squinted, and then smiled. "Cyrith."

He blinked a few bits of ash from his eyelashes. "As I used to be," Cyrith grinned.

"Why are you surrounded by ash?" she giggled, breathless at the power still pumping through her. He was indeed surrounded by ash.

Cyrith shook more of it free from his pelt. "I was reborn from the flames. The old me was burned away. Well, the me that could breathe fire at least. It worked, Sunrise. You did it."

" _We_ did it. You are free to go," she purred. "Free to live."

He looked to Amory for confirmation and the leader nodded. "You aren't a danger to us anymore if you can't use your power. Thank you for bringing Icepetal back."

"Sometimes it is very strange being around you," Arrow muttered to Tornheart. "If I had stayed in the city I would not have to worry about cats that could breathe fire, and wear a pelt of shadows."

"Ah, but you do love it," Tornheart retorted.

"I don't know where to even go to begin with," Cyrith breathed, looking excited and filled with wonder.

Sunrise sifted through the ash to nudge him towards the basin exit. "Away from here to start with, away from your old life. Go start a new one." He paused briefly by Icepetal, eyes softening. She was still unconscious and Marah was still fussing over her.

"Look after her," he whispered. "Please."

"We will." His tail whisked over the lip of the basin and he was gone. A gust of mountain breath blew away the ash he had left behind.

* * *

an: i am leaving it completely up to you to make up your own mind about who the father of Icepetal's kits is. it is genetically possible for either one of them to have fathered them.


	32. Chapter Thirty-Two: Into Darkness

**Chapter Thirty-Two: Into Darkness**

Night had settled comfortably over the mountains, ebony sky illuminated by warm stars. Thin clouds scuttled over a half-moon. Pale light seeped through the willow leaves, dapple get Amory's pelt in ethereal white. He sat silently outside Marah's den close enough to be able to see inside; he told himself it just because it was a little warmer but his eyes were stuck on who rested inside. Willowclaw lay opposite Icepetal. Their kits were pressed up tight against their mother's belly. She still had yet to wake up, though Marah was confident in her healing abilities. Her breathing was stronger, more even, and for now she slept peacefully.

Everyone was waiting for him to execute her, as per his rules. Amory frowned. Thanks to Sunrise and her threats he could no longer lead his Clans properly. His rules were falling apart. They would revolt if he could not maintain control over them. Not that it would matter anymore. Crimson was going to destroy all of them. Moons of proving to these cats that he could, and would, help them, soon to be reduced to nothing. It shouldn't concern him. He was going to get what he wanted: freedom. He was going to get it without sending the Clans to death with his own words. Rather, he was going to let Crimson do it. It still left a sour taste in his mouth. His eyes flitted over the kits. They would not be alive long enough to experience anything. He wondered how Marah would feel about it.

"Ever thought about having a family of your own?" Amory couldn't stop the shiver. It was going to be difficult to get used to having a monster lurking by his side. Glancing at Eaglestrike he felt a sliver of sadness. The loyal, strong warrior he had come to respect was gone; locked away in his own mind. Could he see what Crimson was doing with his body? Did he know what she was planning?

"No," he answered, "never." It wasn't a lie. Having a family had never been a priority. He'd gone from being too young to think about it to too busy trying to survive to even want to think about it. His life had sailed by while he had been stuck bargaining for survival. He would have needed an heir if he'd stayed. But an heir and a family were two vastly different things. An heir was needed. A family was wanted. "Did you want the kits you had?"

Crimson fixed him under a cool stare. "I did not. But they have proved to be valuable assets, especially Sunrise. She is amazing. I never imagined she would become so powerful. When she decides to work with us we will be unstoppable."

"I don't plan to work with you after the wolves are dead," Amory reminded.

She laughed. "Does the idea of world domination not tempt you in the slightest? Every being in the world bowing to you. Sounds nice, doesn't it?"

"What do you want, Crimson? I did what you asked. Ice and Earth have agreed to your plan, they've left the valley. Sunrise killed Wind, and Fire is now useless. Happy?" he spat.

"Almost, Amory. You've done well. My plan would still work even if only one of the Elementals was still alive. Now you take me to see your wolves," Crimson purred. "If it all works out we can leave tonight."

"Leave? Tonight? Why?" Amory sputtered. He couldn't see Crimson's plan working; she was taking worst enemies and flinging them together. The wolves hated him, he hated the wolves. The Elementals hated the Clans, he ruled the Clans. Crimson just seemed to hate everyone, and everyone hated her. Her plan would implode.

She stepped closer to the healer's den. "The longer I remain here the more likely it will be that someone will find out. Tornheart and Sunrise are both magic wielder's, as am I. We can all sense another wielder. Right now they have no idea who it's coming from - Sunrise probably has no idea what she's feeling. But they'll figure it out. We need to leave."

"What about the Clans?" Amory pressed. Would Marah be allowed to come? Would she even want to?

"What about them?"

"Who will lead them!?" he hissed. "If I just leave it will cause chaos."

Crimson snorted, smiling at him like he was stupid. "The Clans survived by themselves before you came along. They aren't so weak to just fall apart without you. In fact you might find that most of them will be pleased. Sunrise will discover that the valley is free, and the Clans will return. Then," her smile turned malicious, "we kill them all."

"Have you forgotten that Tornheart and your daughter still exist? They love these Clans and they will give their lives to save them. How do you think two Elementals and a few wolves are going to beat them? Your plan is going to fail," Amory said.

"They won't have time to do a thing. Tornheart will be the first to die. Ice will keep Sunrise busy. The wolves will kill the rest. Earth will assist whoever he feels like," she explained. "See? No problems. Are you happy now?"

Amory could feel a headache growing. "This really is not the best place to discuss this." He waved his tail towards the cats sleeping a little way behind them. "Come with me. I'll take you to Ja'zahr."

"Such a picture-perfect family," Crimson had turned her attention back to Icepetal, "it's a shame none of them will survive. I hope you aren't attached to anyone here, Amory. It would be a shame to have to kill you as well."

"Marah."

"Who? That's not a Clan name."

"No," Amory scowled, "because she's not a Clan cat. She came with me, she's the current healer. I want her to come with us."

Crimson eyed him over her shoulder. "The old, cantankerous she-cat who will be more of a burden than anything else? No. She will have to stay. If you wish I can make sure she survives."

Torn between downright refusing and accepting, Amory glared at her. He wanted Marah away from the Clans because he knew they would turn to her for answers when he left, and he knew the Clans would not be kind. "If she does not survive," he said slowly, "I will tear you apart limb by limb."

"If you say so. What about your Nobles?" Crimson didn't seem concerned at all.

He felt guilty about what he was about to say. "I have no attachments to any of them."

"Good." Her grin was toothy. "Are there any guards we need to avoid on the way out?" She turned her back on the family sleeping inside the cave, tail swishing from side to side as she slunk towards the willow leaves.

"Not tonight. Sunrise told us her shadows would warn her if something dangerous was coming," Amory explained, following her out into the pale moonlight. The trees, backlit by the moon, cast eerie shadows; branches like claws. An owl hooted nearby. Its large eyes glinted in the gloom: a quiet witness. He was glad no one else was around to witness his betrayal. Oh Sunrise was going to kill him if this plan went wrong.

They froze in place, paws nearly out of the basin, when the willow leaves rustled in a way that could only mean someone had walked through them. Amory swore under his breath, rapidly thinking of an excuse he could come up with for leaving the camp so late at night with Eaglestrike. Who was it? He hoped it was someone unimportant, like Aspenthorn. No one really believed anything Aspenthorn said anymore.

"Amory?" It wasn't Aspenthorn. No, the voice was too soft, too gentle. His heart fell a little, and his stomach dropped like a stone. "Where are you going? And with _him_."

Turning around Amory looked down at Wrenfeather. They were almost friends, she probably thought they were, and he did enjoy her company. She was a strong warrior, smart and dedicated. Her rudeness to certain cats amused him, though her downright hatred for Eaglestrike only confused him. She was pretty too: long dappled fur a pleasing mix of different brown shades. He'd only started their odd friendship to throw Singingriver off, then stayed when he found Wrenfeather to be interesting - he wondered if Wrenfeather thought he was courting her.

"It's none of your business," he said shortly, hoping to deter her from getting any closer. "Go back to sleep."

"Why don't you leave him and come join me?" Wrenfeather purred, drifting towards them, "I'm clearly better company."

Crimson hissed quietly, "get rid of her before it becomes messy."

"Did you say something, Eaglestrike? I couldn't hear you," Wrenfeather sneered. Yes, her hatred of her brother was really beginning to get on his nerves.

"Wrenfeather. Enough. Go back to sleep," he commanded.

Now usually whenever he commanded a Clan cat to do something they did it without question. This time it seemed things would go a different way. Wrenfeather tilted her chin back in a haughty manner. "I just want to know what my gracious leader is doing so late at night. I mean no harm."

"If you mean no harm then you would turn around right now and go back to sleep," he snarled.

She was getting far too close now. Crimson tried to lower her head to hide the colour of her eyes but it was too late. With a gasp, Wrenfeather jerked backwards, eyes wide and fur bristling. "Your eyes are red. Why are his eyes red? They look like blood!" Realisation dawned. "Oh, no. No, no, no. It's her. She's here. She's alive. Crimson…"

"Amory, take control of the situation before she alerts the Clans," Crimson seethed.

"How could you!?" Wrenfeather cried.

He closed the distance between them feeling a little sad about what he had to do. Staying with the Clans had softened his heart. This sort of thing would not have bothered him moons ago. Back then he would have been excited. "I'm sorry," he told her quietly. Wrenfeather blinked at him, confused. Her mouth opened to shout but all that came out was a choked gurgling. Amory pulled back his bloodied paw, wiping her blood from his claws on the rough grass. He watched her struggle for air, admired the blood spreading through the fur on her throat. She crumpled to the ground, a pathetic whine making it past the gurgling.

Crimson brushed up against him him, tail drifting lazily down his spine. "You did wonderfully. Come, say goodbye to these wretched Clans. You won't see them alive again."

A coldness touched his forepaws. Amory looked down to find Wrenfeather's blood wreathing around them, startling red against dull gold. He followed the blood-spill till he reached the gash in her throat, then moved up to her face. It was frozen in a permanent look of shock, jaw slack, eyes wide but glazed. Blood dripped from her mouth. Should he be sorry? Probably. Was he? Not really. This was the quickest way to freedom. He would have to take it.

"Good," he muttered and followed Crimson.

"Oh, I think I should mention that I will be returning here before morning," she said.

He whipped his head around. "What, why? You said it was too dangerous!"

"It is, but there's one last thing I want to do. You see I don't just want to kill the Chosen, I want to _destroy_ them."

* * *

Sunrise woke to a muffled scream. Not really the most pleasant way to wake up she decided as she threw herself out of her nest in a panic. Screams were never good. Screams meant bad things and danger. Her shadows dripped from the branches smoothing themselves over her pelt. It wasn't for warmth anymore, it was for safety. The closer they were the quicker she could call on them. Prepared to put herself between danger and her Clans she bounded out into the sunlight, hurriedly trying to blink her eyes into focus. She was sure she looked _fantastic_ , what with her sleep-tangled pelt and foggy eyes.

However there was nothing that seemed dangerous. The remaining Elementals weren't trying to kill them, the wolves hadn't found them. In fact the only thing out of place was the ring of cats over towards the slope. As Sunrise was making her way over Singingriver wriggled out and bolted back into the willow leaves Amory's name spilling from her tongue. Thoroughly confused she started shoving her way through the gathered cats.

"How could this happen?"

"I can't believe...that he would do this."

"No way. It's impossible."

"Why would he!?"

"To teach us a lesson maybe?"

"Icepetal was the one he was supposed to execute!"

Sunrise curled her lip and announced, "Amory told me he had changed his mind about executing Icepetal. He thought it would only make things more difficult for us if a healthy warrior was killed."

"Why would he tell a little apprentice that?" Hawkflight scoffed.

"Because I was his _apprentice_ ," Sunrise snapped. "Can you please let me by? I want to know what happened."

The crowd shifted and a path opened up but suddenly Sunrise wanted it to close in on her. She hadn't been able to smell the blood over everyone; she could smell it now, sense it, see it. It churned in the back of her mind, calling to her, tempting her. Amory's scent was mixed in with it too. That was strange. Slowly she crept closer, skirting around the dried blood, till she could make out who it was. Pretty Wrenfeather, cold with death, stained with blood, killed by the gash on her throat. Sunrise's stomach rolled. Did Eaglestrike know? Not that the two had ever got on very well. Straightening she looked for him, finding him with Willowclaw. The two were talking. If she hadn't been standing beside a body the sight might have pleased her.

"Amory's gone!" Singingriver had returned stinking of fear. "His nest is cold and the Nobles say his scent leaves the basin!"

"I'd certainly run if I was him," Aspenthorn snarled. "He killed Wrenfeather, his scent is all over her. That foxheart murdered her!"

Tornheart appeared at Sunrise's side, head lowered a little so she could speak into her ear. "I have a very bad feeling. Something is not right. Why would he kill Wrenfeather and leave all of a sudden. It makes no sense. I knew there was something off about him from the beginning but this is just strange. Are the shadows telling you anything?"

"I think so…" The shadows weren't but the blood was. Wrenfeather's was practically shouting at her, a constant pressure on her mind. It wanted her to do something. What? Did it know something? "That feeling we had yesterday, did it get stronger? Or is that just me?"

Around them the others were panicking. Their leader had vanished. Who would lead them now? Tornheart ignored them and nodded. "It got stronger. I still can't tell where it's coming from but I'm getting close. See what your shadows want. They might have important information."

Carefully Sunrise sunk back into her mind, to where Wrenfeather's blood was shouting. There was another voice, her shadow friend. It was warning her. _Beware, beware, beware._ Of what? What was there to beware of? She reached out a paw and touched a patch of rusty blood, and was promptly thrown into Wrenfeather's body before she'd died. Unsettled, Sunrise tried to move only to find that she was once again a guest in another cat's body. She was looking through Wrenfeather's eyes.

The basin was dark, lit up only by the half moon. An owl watched silently luminous eyes shining. Two silhouettes were making their way out of the basin. She felt Wrenfeather purr at the sight of one, then grow cold at the other. The warrior knew them. Shaking moss from her pelt she trotted after them, calling out to Amory quietly. The leader stiffened, muttered something, and turned. Sunrise took no notice of what they were saying. Her shadow friend was screaming at her. Something was definitely wrong. Who was the other cat?

Amory and Wrenfeather were arguing. Sunrise couldn't care for their quarrel, she was too busy trying to focus on the stranger. There were oddly familiar but doused in shadow, features indistinguishable. A turn of their head was paired with a flicker of red. _What_? She felt Wrenfeather stiffen, her vision going kind of fuzzy. _Hang on, I can't see properly, what's wrong?_ Panic was surging through her veins, Wrenfeather's, and then she said something that chilled Sunrise to the very bone.

" _Oh, no. No, no, no. It's her. She's here. She's alive. Crimson…_ "

The stranger stepped into the pale light. Sunrise could hardly believe her own eyes. It was Eaglestrike, except his pretty eyes were blood red and his muzzled was pulled up into a frightening smile. He told Amory to control the situation. She was thrown out of the vision with a spurt of blood still playing across her eyelids.

Her heart was pounding so fast she was afraid it would burst from her chest. Eaglestrike with blood red eyes. Him telling Amory to kill Wrenfeather. Amory leaving. Why was Eaglestrike still here? Why hadn't he left with Amory? There was a part of her that wanted to refuse what she had seen. It was impossible that Eaglestrike would do such a thing. He was family. He was _good_.

"Tornheart," Shiverlight interrupted, her voice firm, "I need to talk to you."

"Can it wait? I am a little busy," Tornheart replied kindly.

She shook her head. "It's about Eaglestrike. He's been acting...strangely the past few days."

"How?" Sunrise demanded, "how has he been acting!?"

"Different. Like he's suddenly changed. He used to love playing with the kits and talking with them about what they'd do as apprentices. Now he ignores them. He hardly looks at me. He's been avoiding us. Fadedtail and Smokefoot have said similar things, and Aspenthorn even came to ask me if Eaglestrike was feeling okay. He's been avoiding them too, acting like he doesn't even know who they are. I wanted to know if you'd noticed anything as well," Shiverlight answered.

Tornheart was frowning. "That lines up with the strange feeling, like another wielder had appeared nearby. It makes no sense that it would be Eaglestrike though."

"It's like he's a completely different cat," Shiverlight murmured. "I don't know what happened but it's concerning. I might have put it down to him feeling bad about Icepetal but this is too much for just that."

Sunrise stared at Wrenfeather's body thinking about what she had seen. Things were falling into place, clicking into position. The red eyes, the strange behaviour, Shiverlight's concern, the odd feeling Tornheart and her had been feeling. "A completely different cat," Sunrise whispered.

Then it clicked.

"Oh no. No, no. That's not possible." But it made terrifying sense. She snapped her head around to look at Eaglestrike talking to Willowclaw. His fur was unusually ruffled, head held a little higher, ears flicked back, eyes a little lazy. That wasn't Eaglestrike. He didn't behave like that. "We have a problem, Tornheart. We have a _really_ big problem."

"Icepetal is awake. You should go and apologise," Willowclaw said. He hadn't expected that Eaglestrike would even want to talk to him. They hadn't exactly been on the best terms recently. Still, an apology would help fix what had been broken. It didn't mean he liked the other warrior very much.

"Why would I apologise?" Eaglestrike retorted. "I helped get her back, isn't that enough?"

Willowclaw scowled. "You're the reason why she was down there in the first place." They'd been going around in circles for ages now. All he wanted was for Eaglestrike to apologise but he seemed so adamant that he didn't need to. It was beyond strange that his sister was lying dead a little way away and Eaglestrike was more concerned about his own pride. "She could have died. Our kits could have died!"

" _Our_ kits? How do you know they're even yours, Willowclaw?" Eaglestrike quipped.

"...what's that supposed to mean? Of course they're mine. I'm her mate. They look like me. Those kits are mine," he growled.

Eaglestrike smirked. "Oh, I don't know, Willowclaw, they look a little like Fire too. Don't you think?"

"That doesn't even make sense. She wasn't down there long enough for them to be his. You aren't making this any better for yourself. Just go apologise so I can do something better with my time," Willowclaw demanded with a hiss.

"Who's to say she hasn't been sneaking down into the valley frequently? They seemed rather friendly, you know. Too friendly for captor and captured," he taunted. "I saw her, Willowclaw, sneaking into the valley a moon ago. They're _his_."

There was a sharp crackle of power that sung in the air, then Eaglestrike was thrown against the basin wall. A furious but terrified Tornheart prowled towards him, eyes glowing. Flickers of green light ran down her body. Eaglestrike scrambled to his paws with a rough laugh. There was a crazed look in his eyes. "You are supposed to be _dead_ ," Tornheart snarled, bolt of green zapping him in the side. He jolted, pained cry spilling free.

"Dead is such a funny word," Eaglestrike giggled. "Not even death wanted me, sweetheart."

"How did you even survive?" Tornheart shouted.

Sunrise edged herself in between Willowclaw and Eaglestrike, shadows ready to strike. It was a bittersweet feeling. Her mother was right in front of her but she was possessing a member of her family, someone Sunrise loved and cared for. It upset her. It just proved what everyone had always said. Crimson was a monster.

"I'm immortal," Eaglestrike - Crimson - purred. "All I did was sneak a little of my power into Eaglestrike's body before I died and tadah! Here I am. Alive, albeit in someone else's body."

"Where is he? What have you done with him!?" Shiverlight screeched, looking every bit the city assassin the Chosen remembered.

Crimson frowned at her. "Hello, traitor. I see you crawled back to your silly little Clan friends. Pathetic. He's still here. In fact he's rather sad that all this happened. Well, it is his fault after all. He was too weak to resist me."

"Shut up," Sunrise's voice was venomous. "He wasn't weak. You'd been poisoning his mind for moons."

Dark eyes turned on her, Crimson's unblinking stare unnerving. She tilted her head to one side, admiring her daughter once again. A crooked smile grew. The ice in her eyes hardened. "Do you think I can just slip myself into anyone's mind?" Crimson sneered, "there has to be weakness there for me to exploit. Did any of you ever stop to ask how Eaglestrike was feeling? How weighed down he felt by all the expectations pushed open him? How ugly he felt on the inside? No. You are all at fault for this. A weak heart leads to a weak mind, and weak minds can be warped."

"He was fine! If he hadn't been he would have told me!" Shiverlight cried out.

Crimson laughed, harsh and mocking. "You know nothing about him, assassin. _Nothing_."

"Enough," Sunrise spat. "Let him free. Die like you should have." From her pelt her shadows leaked, thin and watery, pooling at her paws.

"Is that any way to speak to your mother? How you've grown, Sunrise. Such a beautiful creature. Divine. I would have preferred our reunion to be much more private." There was a sadness hidden in her eyes. "The things I want to say they would not appreciate. But, you have something of mine flowing through your veins. A gift I unknowingly gave you."

"What?" Gift? What gift? Crimson had never given her anything. Her confusion flooded into her shadows and they solidified; flowed into feline shapes that corralled her on either side. Suddenly there was a tapping, insistent and firm, on her mind. From a tapping it became a banging and then a slamming, pieces of the wall keeping her power safe falling.

Tornheart realised too late what was happening. "She's trying to take your power, stop using it!" A talon of green fire closed around Crimson's throat, shoving her up the basin wall, dangling her there. She coughed out a jagged curse head ringing.

As quickly as she could Sunrise released her shadows with a shudder. She felt weak, tired, frayed. By her side her shadow cats wavered on their paws then dissolved into murkiness that shot across the ground to join Crimson. Shiverlight released a strangled yowl, powerful hindlegs bunching up. Her leap brought her within striking distance of Crimson but before her claws could sink into skin there was an almighty roar akin to thunder. The ground shifted violently, and everyone was knocked off their paws. Tornheart's grip on Crimson weakened; she dropped neatly on all fours. A crackle of red light zipped down her spine.

"When I am through with all of you, you will wish the sun had stayed dead." Crimson strolled from the basin pausing only to pin Sunrise under a cold gaze, "I _will_ return for what is rightfully mine."


	33. Chapter Thirty-Three: Sunkissed

**Chapter Thirty-Three: Sunkissed**

The sound of water sloshing lazily woke her gently. A harsh intake of breath brought with it the sharp tang of salt. Pricked ears caught the beat of wings in the air, and the calls of birds almost lost amongst the buffeting wind. Beneath her the ground shifted awkwardly with each breath, not quite solid; grainy. A warm sun beat down on her relentlessly and she was content to just lay there soaking up the heat. For a little while she did just that: kept her eyes closed and let her body rest. It was peaceful. It felt nice. A sigh left her parted mouth. Her responsibilities could not wait any longer. She'd been in the basin when Crimson had reached inside her and stripped something from her. Now she was elsewhere, under a warm sun, by soothing water. Tired eyes fluttered open. Her breath caught in her throat.

Yellow sand stretched out before her, bright and beautiful. Impossibly blue water rolled against it, water capped with white that tossed high. It made a loud rushing sound when it kissed the sand, then receded back like the yellow was chasing it. High above her on startlingly white wings wheeled many birds, floating on the rough wind and crying as loud as they could. She lifted a forepaw off the ground and watched sand fall from her fur, entranced by the strangeness around her; she'd never seen anywhere like this. What was it? Where was she? Could the others come?

"You may rest more if you like."

Sunrise knew that voice. It belonged to her shadow friend, but they only dwelled in that dark, gloomy forest where there was no moon and little light. Surely they were not here, bathed in bright sunlight? Twisting to stare over her shoulder Sunrise had to bite back a surprised yelp.

Where the sand met wiry grass that roiled in the wind were five cats. The one that had spoken sat in the middle, green eyes endlessly warm, fur a shade of gold so beautiful it nearly put the sun to shame. They had tufted ears, sleek, long fur, and an impressively fluffy tail. The smile on their face was directed at her and that was when Sunrise realised that they were her shadow friend. Though they weren't made of mist or floating or staring at her with flames for eyes.

"Are you…?" Sunrise mumbled.

"Your friend in the shadows? Yes," they answered. "My name is Sheara, and I have been the one guiding you."

 _Sheara_. That was a name she recognised. "You're Ice's sister." It came out blunter than she intended.

"I am indeed Atsiya's sister, and I was the one that failed to kill her." Sheara's face twisted into a frown. "Sometimes I wonder if my failure lead to the failure of our kin. There hasn't been a Shadowstalker that has managed to kill an Elemental. Our soul purpose of living and we cannot even do it."

"Yet you have," a gruff voice mused. Sunrise shifted her gaze to a dull gold tom. He looked very old, muzzle streaked with gray, eyes tired. His short pelt was laced with scars, most raised and raw.

"Reyn is correct. All of us failed, yet you have already far succeeded us. Wind is dead, and Fire is stripped of his power. You have done a magnificent job so far," Sheara said, wonder coating her voice.

On the far left sat a little tom, golden pelt speckled with black spots. His short muzzle was stretched in a smile that crinkled the corners of his ocean-green eyes. "I'm so glad you saved Cyrith. He deserves so much more than the life of an Elemental."

"You knew him?" Sunrise asked. It was strange to think that the Elementals had at some point been young, with families and friends, and dreams. There had been a time when his fur had been brown and his heart had been happy.

The little tom nodded, smile turning sad. "I loved him, and he loved me. Before we knew what we were, after we knew, and while he killed me. If you ever see him again ask him if he'll tell you about Leon. We had a grand love story, full of adventure and tragedy. It's quite a tale."

"He loved you and he still killed you?" Sunrise murmured.

"Ice finds every trace of love and destroys it," Sheara hissed. "Leon and Cyrith were no different. She grew to be an awful monster."

"Should've killed him when you had the chance," someone snapped coldly. On the far right was another tom, drenched in shadows, his pelt impossibly black, his eyes a murky yellow. A long, puckered scar slithered from his lip to his right ear. He was slim, fur smooth. Sunrise supposed the Clan she-cat's might find him handsome. She narrowed her eyes at him, something niggling at the back of her mind. He was familiar.

A grand plain flickered before her eyes, a monster cloaked in darkness called up an army of shadow cats. Fire's vision had painted the tomcat uglier than he was. Perhaps Fire's memory was tarnished by his hatred. There was no mistaking it however. Standing in front of her was the Shadowstalker that had nearly killed the Elementals.

"I am not like you, Soran," Leon snarled. "I have morals."

Soran laughed, a deep sound that rumbled in his chest. "Look where that got you. Burned alive by your lover. How romantic."

A loud growl thundered in Leon's throat. The she-cat sitting next to him - a tall, lanky cat with a golden pelt marred by strange streaks of white - pressed a forepaw into Leon's chest. "Do not." Her voice was deep, and thick. "He is not worth it. You know this. Be proud of your heart when his is charred."

"Thank you, Murai," Reyn said. "Though I do hope Leon does not wish harm upon his kin, even if he is insufferable."

Sunrise blinked at the five cats. "Are you all Shadowstalkers?"

"We are. However we are not every Shadowstalker that has ever existed. There have been many more, forgotten by all they have faded. We have been kept alive in the memories of those still living, and in the legends others tell. Atsiya keeps me alive, as do you. Cyrith keeps Leon alive. Reyn's kin are told stories of him, they keep him alive. Murai is a god to her tribe, kept alive through worship. The descendants of DarkClan and LightClan will never forget Soran. Now you too keep us here," Sheara explained.

The waves crashed into the sand a little louder. "Where exactly is here? I've never seen a place like this before. It's so warm." She tilted her head to feel the sun on her face. "I wish I could show this place to the others."

"You have never seen a beach before?" Reyn inquired, "you have missed out. This place is our afterlife. Shadowstalkers are burdened with a life in the shadows, so we have been blessed with an afterlife in the sun as a reward. It is always bright here. Even the moonlight is bright. Someday you will join us here, my dear."

"There's a beach in WaveClan's territory, but I've never been to it. It's been too dangerous to explore the valley," Sunrise replied softly. An afterlife in the sun. It sounded wonderful. All she had ever known was darkness and cold.

Murai murmured sadly, "you are so young, so little. There has never been a Shadowstalker as young as you. How can one so small do the things you have done?"

"I haven't really had any other choice. All I want to do is protect my family, and right now that means taking back the valley they used to call home. Besides, I want to fix the things my mother ruined." Sunrise shrugged, "not that that really matters when there are Elementals on the loose."

"She released them," Sheara reminded. "Sent them to your Clans. Ordered they destroy them. What you are doing is fixing what she broke. It's a noble cause. We have been watching you since you were born, Sunrise. Watched you grow into the powers you have. You have come so far."

Soran lurched to his paws, leering grin smeared across his face. He sauntered closer, then began circling her as if she was his prey. Sunrise curled her lip at him. "I know why you're better at killing them than we were. You have that nifty little blood power. Bet that comes in real handy during a battle. I must say, I did not expect much from a kit with such warm affections for a bunch of Clanners."

"Being a Clan cat does not make me weak," she retorted sharply.

"Ah, but you aren't a Clan cat, Sunrise. You're Crimson's daughter. Dirty blood that is. Your blood power is her gift you know. A little surprise she snuck you before she died," Soran sneered.

"You can't make me feel bad about who my mother is. I have been there and I have gotten over it. I am nothing like my mother, I never will be anything like her. So, make your point, Soran," Sunrise spat.

He arched a brow, lazy circling coming to a stop. "You could do anything with the power you have. Yet you have devoted yourself to those disgusting Clan cats. I do not understand it and I do not understand you. Naive, Sunrise, you're naive. What do you think those Clan cats will do with you once your uselessness runs out? They'll leave you. They'll turn their backs on you."

Sunrise wasn't stupid, she had a hunch what Soran was going on about. "My Clans are not the ones you dealt with. I do what I do for my family and my family are Clan cats; loyal, kindhearted, loving Clan cats. I will do all I can to save them. What they decide to do with me after is in the future. It can wait."

"I don't like you." Soran's murky eyes had turned electric. "I hope your Clans turn on you. They'll show you their true faces, just you wait." Without waiting for an answer, the tomcat turned on his heel and strode from the beach, black tail whisking over the hillside.

"He isn't very fond of Clans. I am sorry for the way he behaves," Leon said gently.

"What happened to him?" Her eyes were still on the hillside where he had left.

Reyn shared a look with Sheara who hung her head with a heavy sigh. "It is not our story to tell. Just know that he has a broken heart and a broken soul. Soran was not born the monster he turned out to be."

"Why is his pelt black when all of yours is some kind of gold?" Sunrise looked back at Sheara, admiring her pretty fur.

It was Murai that answered. "A Shadowstalker who has done deeds of good, who has lived out their purpose as is required, will have the sun for fur. A Shadowstalker whose heart is black, who uses the gifts given to them for other things, will have fur stained with darkness. That is the way it has always been. Soran will forever carry the mark of his sins."

Sunrise felt her stomach drop, a sick feeling spreading through her. "Have I not used my power properly?" she whimpered.

"Oh, little one, do not cry. You are too young for your fur to change. We are all born with dark fur. It is a mark of our duty. When you are older and you have done more your fur will change. Do not worry about that. What you are using your power for is noble and true," Sheara cooed.

Comforted and relieved, Sunrise squinted at Leon. He tilted his head and wrinkled his nose under her scrutiny. "If gold is good and black is bad, then how come you have both, Leon?" The black spots on his pelt held a completely different meaning now, they weren't just interesting and pretty.

"I loved the enemy," Leon said. "That is not what I was born to do. So I carry the marks to remind me of that. I quite like them, they remind me of him."

Turning to Murai, Sunrise asked, "why is yours partly white?"

"Ice attempted to freeze me in place so I would be forced to watch her destroy the lives I had sworn to protect. It did not work the way she intended. The white is what was left behind after that," Murai answered.

Reyn huffed loudly. "I'm just old, okay? Can't keep that brilliant shine forever."

The laughter that followed that filled Sunrise with warmth and covered her in a sense of kinship. These cats were like her, they were friends. "Reyn had one of the most boringly normal lives," Sheara laughed. "The Elementals didn't find him till he was old and cranky."

"I had the element of surprise. They were not expecting the cranky old cat to whip out a shadow and shove it up their as-"

"Reyn!" Leon interrupted loudly. "There is a young one present!"

"Ah," Reyn sheepishly shifted around the sand by his paws, "my bad."

Sunrise couldn't help but laugh. They were such a strange group of cats. In fact, they kind of reminded her of the Chosen. "Will I get to visit here?" she asked a few moments later.

"Of course. Now that you know who we truly are all you need do is fall asleep with the aim of coming here and you will arrive. We mightn't always be around to entertain you but I am certain you will be capable of looking after yourself. Nothing here will harm you," Sheara said.

"You'll come often, right?" Leon purred. "There hasn't been a new Shadowstalker to talk to since Soran died."

"I will! I'll come as much as I can!" How could she say no to the sun and the beach and Leon's hopeful face? Coming here would be no trouble at all. She could sleep on the sand in the sun, let its warmth settle in her bones before she had to return to a chilly mountain. There was something she wanted to do before she left this time though. It involved a tom with his sins for a pelt. "Do you know where Soran went? I want to talk to him before I go."

Reyn scrunched up his face. "By the river, near the oak tree. Up over the hill back there, just follow the sound of the river. Do be careful around him, he's unruly at the best of times."

"I will. Thank you!"

"We hope to see you again," Murai nodded.

Sunrise waved her tail at them before she loped up the hill, disappearing over it, away from the soothing ocean. Her life was strange. Sometimes she wondered what it would be like to be a normal kit with normal parents. Shiverlight's kits would get to live a relatively normal Clan life, as would Icepetal's. How did it feel to live with no powers? With no grand destiny splayed out before you? She would never know. Not even Willowclaw or Icepetal knew what it would be like; they were Chosen after all.

The afterlife she wandered through was so bright and warm. Everything felt so alive. Everything was so vibrant. The colours of the flowers were beautiful. Each blade of grass was a gorgeous shade of green. She trotted happily through a meadow, bright with yellow flowers and dotted with strong trees. As per Reyn's instructions she followed the sound of a river bubbling. It had been hard to hear at first over the ocean's loud crashing. Now, further away from the sand, it was the only sound.

An oak rose mightily from a copse of trees, grand branches reaching high into the sky laden with brilliant coloured leaves. The very top swayed in a wind she could not feel. A fleck of black appeared in the sky, whisking and winding, growing closer to Sunrise. It perched itself lightly on her shoulder and warbled a pretty song. A little bird, jet black, boasting eyes as bright as the sun. Its song was beautiful. The bird was the first sign of life Sunrise had seen other than the Shadowstalkers. She left it singing prettily on her shoulder, continuing through the grass. The trees arched high over her head. The river appeared by her side, silver and flowing peacefully.

Soran sat pressed against the oak's trunk, a forepaw raised and pressed against his face. From where Sunrise stood she could see his face was scrunched up and his flanks were having. A pained whine threaded into the air, mingled with the sound of the river, and disappeared. The bird on her shoulder twittered sadly. Sunrise remained where she was, watching silently. This was the monster she'd seen in Cyrith's memory, the one that had used his power for evil, crouched in the pale shadows looking more like a sad kit than an awful creature.

"Hello, Soran."

He jumped, lurching to his paws with a fragile hiss. Wild eyes searched and found her, pinning her under a freezing glare. Sunrise flinched. Why did he hate her so much? She was only doing what she had been born to do. Those eyes landed on the little bird on her shoulder, and then softened.

"I see you've found Mint. Little traitor," Soran sneered at the bird.

Sunrise twisted her neck to peer at the bird. It blinked at her, chirped loudly, and abandoned her shoulder in favour of seating herself neatly atop Soran's head. It blended seamlessly into his dark fur, disappearing almost. She smiled. "They're a very pretty bird."

"She's a troublemaker is what she is. Always off badgering the others when I won't give her the attention she wants. Can't spend all day pampering the little thing." Soran sounded almost fond.

"I didn't think birds liked cats," Sunrise said softly.

"Mint's not a real bird. She's made of shadows and darkness. Murai can breathe life into the dark creations we make if she feels like it. Mint was a gift," he explained, resting back against the tree trunk.

Sunrise picked her way down a slight riverbank, paws touching soft sand; paler than the sand on the beach. "So she's your friend? Mint?"

"One of the only one's I have. Not many cats you can talk to here anymore. The others don't really like me, any way. They try but I can tell." His voice turned bitter, "I can always tell. What do you want, Sunrise? I would have assumed the others might have kept your attention for longer. Did you not hear me say I don't like you? Want me to repeat it?"

"No, I heard you. I want to know why." She sat by the river, forepaw reaching out to dab the chilly water. When she glanced back at him he was watching her, one eye open.

Soran snorted. "Did I not make that abundantly clear? You're a Clan cat. You're using that magnificent power of yours to help them. That's why I do not like you." Mint nipped at his ear and he curled his lip. "Stop that, you evil little thing."

"I'm helping my family. They saved me, it's the least I can do," she murmured, attention shifting to bright sun leaking through the canopy. A pleased purr rumbled in her throat. Would she ever feel this warmth in the living world?

"They took you away from that mountain prison your mother had you in. I know. Shouldn't you be blaming them for having to be placed in there at all? Your mother was terrified that, should the Clans find out about your existence, they would kill you," Soran said.

Sunrise shook her head. "I was in that cavern because my mother was a monster. Crimson pushed those Clans to do awful things, like contemplate killing innocent kits. I was supposed to be an heir. If the Chosen hadn't killed Crimson I would have grown up to be like her."

"Not really a bad thing," he muttered. "You could have ruled the world. Wiped out the Clans with one swipe. I would be pleased to live in a world where someone like Crimson ruled."

"That's an awful thing to say. She did horrible things," Sunrise snapped.

He shrugged, "so have I. We would have been kindred spirits." A cruel smile curled his muzzle, "perhaps we might have even been friends."

"How did you watch me?" At his confused look Sunrise added, "Sheara said you'd all watched me grow. How?"

Soran shoved himself off the trunk, slinking over to join her by the rivers edge. A dark paw, scarred, swept across the water's surface. An wobbly image appeared, her in Marah's den back in the basin, sleeping. Tornheart was arguing with Marah, their words muted and distorted. Pressed against her back, tail wrapped snugly around her, was Willowclaw. He watched the she-cat's argue with a glint in his eye. The image flickered then faded.

"Like that. Everyone here can do it. But after my death there wasn't another Shadowstalker to watch for seasons. Not until you. It had been very dull here. It's been...interesting watching you. The little kit kept in the cold, hated by all save her monster of a mother, turned into a stinging her by the very cats that would have killed her moons ago. Fascinating," Soran mused.

"Yet you still don't like me," she pointed out. "Do you pay everyone you dislike the same amount of attention you pay me?"

Soran turned narrowed eye on her. "Everyone else I dislike is dead."

"Charming," she snarked.

"Your mother took your blood power, by the way." The sudden shift in conversation topic had Sunrise's head spinning a little. "She had given it to you by accident so it was technically hers."

"Wait," Sunrise spluttered, "Crimson took my blood power?" Panicked she felt around her mind for the telltale murmur of her blood power. It was usually tucked away at the very back where it would remain until blood was spilled. Then it would rush to the very forefront, loud and demanding. This time when reaching back she found nothing. An empty space, blank, silent. Her heart stuttered. It was gone. Something that had been detrimental to her defeat of Wind had been stripped. What would she do now? Were her shadow powers enough to kill the other Elementals? They hadn't been enough for the other Shadowstalkers!

A paw shoved at her shoulder and she nearly toppled into the water. "Oi. Quit freaking out, you don't need it that bad."

"But it's what I used to kill, Wind! Without it I have nothing I can surprise them with! They've faced so many Shadowstalkers, they know exactly what to expect. Now what will I do!?" Sunrise demanded frantically, staring up at Soran pleadingly. Surely he would know what to do. He had nearly beat them. _But he still died. He tried, and he failed, just like all the others did._

Soran looked away, over the water, pouting almost. A breath of air gusted from his mouth. "Look, you're stronger than me, Sunrise. The things you do with your power took me moons and moons to learn. You create shadow cats as easy as you breathe. Even without your blood power you're more than a match for them. Don't you remember? You've nearly killed Ice before. There's a scar over your eye from that fight."

"It feels like such an impossible task," she said miserably.

"Defy the impossible, then. That's what being a Shadowstalker means, isn't it? To do what everyone else failed to do? Avenge the deaths of those that have failed before you, save the world, all that? That's such a cliche thing to say," Soran scoffed.

She wanted to know something, but she wasn't sure if he'd tell her. "How did you die?"

A shudder ran down his spine. "Earth hung me from a tree by my neck. When Ice used too much of her power and froze them all I was left there. A final shard of hers nearly blinded me. The pain, the near blindness, it sapped all the energy from me. I choked to death."

Nausea rolled sickly in her belly. It was such an awful way to die. "That's...that's awful."

He disagreed, "I probably deserved it. Hadn't exactly been a good cat. Bet they left my body dangling there." Soran wasn't talking about the Elementals anymore. Not with the way his voice had pitched into a dangerous rumble.

What had his Clans done to him to make him hate them so much? To make him despise even the very mention of their names? To make him hate any and all Clan cats? "Will you tell me what your Clans did to you?"

Anger, hot and fierce, lit up the backs of his murky eyes. "No. You should go now."

"Why won't you tell me?" Sunrise demanded stubbornly. He had no right to hate her for being a Clan cat. She had nothing to do with his past, nothing to do with LightClan or DarkClan. Her Clans were different. They were good.

Soran rounded on her with a ferocious snarl, backing her up till her haunches bumped into the edge of the bank. The pure hatred in his eyes _burned_. "You think just because you're special and strong and _good_ that I should just cave before you and give you everything you want? I don't owe you anything, _Clan cat_. You aren't my friend. You aren't anything to me. Do you think I want your pity? Do you think I'll crumble in front of you and tell you my sad sob story, hm? Oh mother didn't like me, daddy was _mean_. None of that matters, it's all inconsequential. I am _proud_ of the monster I became. The things I did I _enjoyed_. There isn't a sliver of good in me, Sunrise, and I like it that way. So don't bring your bright smile in here expecting it to change anything. Get lost. Go away. Stop trying. I don't want anything you have to offer." Mint squawked angrily atop his head and he shook her off, whirling around in a flurry of whisplike shadows. "Leave me alone."

The sunlight around her took on a tinge of red akin to blood. Mint nestled herself comfortably on Sunrise's shoulder, angry little twitters still sounding. A shadow cast itself over the ground, dark and foreboding. It looked eerily like a feline strung up in the tree branches. Was that the kind of death that awaited her? Choking and helpless? Would it be like Sheara's, speared through the gut? Maybe Earth would open up the ground beneath her paws then crush her within.

 _No Shadowstalker has ever completed their task. No Shadowstalker has survived. They've all died, speared, strung up, crushed, burned alive, drowned, mutilated, gouged, gutted, decapitated._

Feeling tiny and weak, Sunrise curled in on herself, shivering despite the warm. How soon would it be before she lived here permanently? Once she thought herself strong enough to protect her family, to give them back the home they had lost. Now she feared she mightn't be good enough. She was just a little apprentice.

"I don't want to die."

Defeating the Elementals was, after all, an impossible task.

"Please don't let me die."

When the final battle came it would be her standing before Ice.

"Please."

Only now, Crimson would watch.

" _Please_."

* * *

an: tbh all of my chapters are like 99% talking and it annoys me.


	34. Chapter Thirty-Four: Vision

**Chapter Thirty-Four: Vision**

In the blackness of her mind a vision began to play out. She watched it from above, looking down at the bright colours. Within the vision was a kit. They had soft white fur, a face of dark brown with a tail to match. The kit squirmed amongst her three siblings and was gently nosed by a pretty mother. Mother and kit shared the same coat. A niggling feeling of familiarity grew stronger. She knew the kit with the white fur. The vision rippled, and another appeared beside it.

In a soft nest of moss dotted with feathers slept a slimmer kit. Splayed out around the kit, and its siblings, was a tabby she-cat. But the kit the vision focused on, the one that glowed just a little brighter than the others, had a pelt of reddish rust. Tiny ears capped with black wiggled, its legs kicked out. She felt a soft smile grow. The kit was dreaming. A flood of warmth soaked her. There was something so gentle about kits. Her feeling of familiarity grew stronger.

Beside the vision of the dreaming kit another flickered to life. A shock of bright orange and the familiarity became an ache in her heart. She recognised the mother. No other cat had those creamy white spots. Firestrike. Which made the lighter orange kit the vision focused on Littleflame. She cast her eyes back over the other two visions. Eaglestrike had the same reddish pelt as the second kit, and the first...the first looked like a younger version of Icepetal. Her visions were of the Chosen, young and vulnerable, before they had grown into a devastating destiny. Littleflame mewled quietly and Firestrike reached over with a paw to pull the small kit closer.

A fourth vision burst to life. Even days old Rainpatch was a troublemaker, kicking at his siblings and mewling as loud as his little lungs could manage. His mother, beautiful in a soft way, sighed heavily and shifted to scold little Rainpatch. Her muzzle was pulled into a broad grin. In the distance rolled the sound of waves crashing into the shore.

The fifth and final vision was darker than the others. Theda and Lucius stared down into a nest in which their kits wiggled. Willowclaw was the biggest by far. He caught their appraising eye. Young and innocent, he cried out for the warmth of his mother not knowing that one day they would leave him for dead. His fur was thick and fluffy, his body wasn't laced with scars, his mind wasn't heavy with sins he had yet to commit.

Their lives played out before her eyes. She watched in silence.

She watched Icepetal play in peace by the waterfall, growing happily with her family, until the day came that the Clan cat - her father - arrived. Icepetal screamed herself hoarse when he dragged her away, fighting with everything her little body could give to get to her mother. The soldiers were backing her mother into their tree den. Her father tried to turn her away. Icepetal's wide eyes caught the blood that sprayed from the den. Her young ears heard the strangled shriek. Her innocence shattered.

She watched Icepetal's father spew lie after lie. "Aren't mine. Found them beside their mother's body. Soldiers. Crimson's fault." SnowClan was not kind to the 'rogue' kits from the beginning. Would things have been different if the Clan had known of the Clan blood that flowed through their veins? Icepetal pushed herself. Isolated herself. Hated herself. Be told you are a lesser being each day every day and you begin to believe it. She grew apart from her siblings. Two shrunk into the background, doing only the bare minimum to survive. The third disappeared barely two moons into apprenticehood. Harder and harder she pushed, snarled and spat at those that despised her. Aspenthorn lurked, he and his group of lackeys made her life a living hell.

Then there was his brother. Charming and handsome, brave and smart, but kind, gentle, accepting. A friend. Someone to confide it. Someone to talk to, to laugh with, to protect her from the hatred. Someone she fell hopelessly in love with. Someone who looked her in the eyes one morning and said, "there's someone better than you, Icepaw, someone I love more. I'm sorry", then walked away like he hadn't just brought her whole world crashing down on her. The bitterness came next, as did the plan to lure him into the woods and ruin his life. But it only ruined hers.

In the vision a grown Icepetal looked Tornheart in the face and saw freedom.

Eaglestrike struggled and fought against a legacy that didn't want him, a father that looked at him with disgust. Something in her broke at a little Eaglepaw asking his mother why his father beat her. Watching him grow and change, watching his father drag him out for late night training only to beat him near to death, it made her wonder just how easily he gave in to Crimson. "He does it because he loves me, mother!" Did he blame himself for his mentor's death? For the disappearance of his father? Had he been broken inside long before he'd joined the Chosen? She admired the way he grew strong despite of that, in both body and heart. PhoenixClan gained a warrior worthy of the title, a warrior that threw himself in death's path more than once for others that perhaps weren't worthy of his sacrifice. But it was a warrior with a twisted sense of love, a warrior that flinched away from affections, a warrior that needed to prove to everyone how different he was, a warrior that would one day give himself over to a tyrant.

He looked at Tornheart and saw an opportunity to show the world he was not his father.

Born small, fragile, the runt, Littleflame yearned for nothing more than to be as strong as her parents: a deputy and a Games victor. She tried. But she was not born for greatness like that. She was timid, easily frightened, nervous, hyper aware of what everyone thought of her. It undid her bit-by-bit. Silently she watched Littleflame fade into the shadows, become invisible to all, vanish under the achievements of her siblings. Given a mentor preoccupied with his own kits she fell so far behind. Each night she snuck out and tried to teach herself. It worked for hunting. She taught herself to hunt. But fighting...that needed someone else, that took a mentor. But she was too frightened to ask for help; too hung up on the possibility of being laughed at for needing a little more help. Littleflame forced herself to like the lack of attention. Her yearning for strength became an ache.

She looked at Tornheart and saw a nightmare she was about to be dragged into.

Rainpatch grew surrounded by love and affection, a natural joker that thrived on all the attention he received regardless of whether it was bad or good. His smile was bright, his laugh contagious. The Clan adored him, doted on him, only rolled their eyes at the pranks he pulled. Yet behind all that was confusion. A missing father, a Clan that refused to talk about him, an elder that called him and his siblings a cursed litter. A sibling lost to greencough during a season when greencough didn't plague the Clans. Another lost in a border spat with RisingClan, the only one to die. He lingered on it for moons, wondered why, pressed the elder for answers. Then he found Heathersky and his confusion was replaced with a gentle love. Perhaps he should have remained confused about the supposed 'cursed litter' but how was he to know that each and everyone one of his siblings, and then he, would die?

He looked at Tornheart and saw a chance to bring a family into a safe world.

Monster. Crimson's cold gaze latched onto Willowclaw and would not leave. She saw such promise in the young kit. Dragging him away from his family she worked him till he was sick, pushing him right up to his boundaries and then straight past them. She didn't need to watch his past, she had been there to witness it. To see the once innocent kit be molded into a killing machine, into a monster worthy of Crimson's army. To see the lack of emotion on his face when he was commanded to chase down his sister and slit her throat. To listen to Crimson congratulate him on murder. To watch the hatred grow in his parents eyes. She had not been beside him when he had been sent to the Clans, when he backed Icepetal's mother into a den and killed her, when he started the border fight that killed Rainpatch's sibling, when he hunted down Eaglestrike's father and shoved him off a cliff.

Monster. Theda and Lucius stole him away from a horrible future and dumped him in a Clan that didn't want him, that didn't trust him. Ruin found him, wonderful, kind Ruin; found him and fixed him. He showed RogueClan that Willowclaw was a blessing in disguise, a strong warrior for a Clan desperately in need of them. He gained a brother that loved him, a home that was safe, and friends. The monster he had become faded away.

He looked at Tornheart and saw his past back to haunt him.

The visions, side by side, reached a point where they began to intermingle with each other, entwining and entangling as the Chosen's journey started. Their memories became shared, one and the same. The valley burned around them. Her cry echoed through the forest they ran through. Soldiers dogged their every step. Littleflame fell hard and fast for Eaglestrike. He did not fall back. Willowclaw drifted to Icepetal; she allowed herself to dream of a future with him. They, over time, grew to be a family.

Littleflame's vision shuddered. It darkened considerably, became smeared with red. A bloodcurdling scream shattered the stifling silence. In vivid detail Littleflame died. Her memories disappeared.

Rainpatch's was the next to go. One moment his vision was one of grandeur, a great warrior surging through battle, the joker of the group turned vicious fighter. The next the ground was bucking beneath his paws, stones were falling from above, and a horrendous pain erupted in his stomach. His bright life faded.

The remaining visions caught up with the current time, and she expected them to cease their, expected her dream to finish. But they did not. Each vision continued, stretched into a future that was supposed to be unknown. Her breath caught in her throat at what she saw.

Icepetal not waking up, leaving her kits to be motherless. Icepetal vanishing. Icepetal dying at Eaglestrike's paws. Icepetal standing tall over a Clan that looked up to her. Icepetal settling into a quiet life with her family.

Willowclaw returning to his original self; a monster responsible for the destruction of his new family. Willowclaw hunting Eaglestrike down and ripping him to pieces. Willowclaw giving it his all against the Elementals and dying. Willowclaw surviving long enough to see the four Clans resurrected, only to die in a collision with some rogues.

Eaglestrike trapped forever in his own mind, cursed to watch Crimson destroy everything he fought so hard to save. Eaglestrike being killed to kill Crimson. Eaglestrike never returning. Eaglestrike...lost forever.

"What am I seeing?" she said.

The darkness around her grew pale stars, and the black lightened. Bright and blooming, body a marvel of stars and galaxies, fur the colour of midnight purple, Sitara emerged from the stars. "The past, the present, and the many futures that stretch out before the Chosen." Her voice echoed, lilting and soft, yet dangerous.

"Why are there so many futures? Why not just one?" Tornheart cast her eyes back down at the visions, watched them skim through an eternity of possible futures for the remaining Chosen. Some were heartwarming, the three of them home and close once again, a family built strong. Others were horrifying; rivers of blood drowning all.

"Many things can happen in the following days that will change the future. Every choice, every word, every move made, will change what future you all face. Like that morning in the city on the battlefield where I could not see the outcome of what would happen between the Chosen and Crimson, I cannot see your future. You all walk a very dangerous path," Sitara said quietly, galaxy-soaked tail whisking gently behind her.

Tornheart looked up at the strange she-cat. She had known something was different about her the moment she'd found Sitara in that puddle. The stars had been reflected so brightly on its surface, brighter than the ones in the sky. How was she to have known that the Sitara was the stars?

But if the following days were going to be so important perhaps Sitara would help her. "How can we ensure a good future? What can we do?" Tornheart asked.

"Your futures rely entirely on one cat."

"Who?"

Sitara reached forward with a forepaw and touched the blackness above the three visions. It rippled, disturbed, dark waves lapping. Then, in a flash of white so bright it left Tornheart's head ringing, another vision appeared. Hidden by a sheen of light she couldn't see who it belonged to. Slowly it began to clear. A sleek, black feline materialised. Their fur was long and the shade of black ravens boasted. The tip of her shoulder blade was circled in broken-up white. They shifted, turning their head to look over their shoulder. An eye of blue. An eye of red.

Sunrise.

"A Shadowstalker's duty is to save the world. They must put everything aside to serve that purpose. But she has another duty. She will decide the fate of the Clans. Crimson's daughter, her only remaining offspring, will either return the Clans to their former glory or she will destroy them. When all is done only one of the futures you have seen will be set in stone." Sitara swiped a paw over Sunrise's vision and it dimmed. "Will this one be able to do what is right? That remains to be seen."

Tornheart swallowed down the uncertainty. "Sunrise will. She is much stronger than we all know."

"Your faith in her is strong," Sitara smiled, "it will need to remain strong. She will need all of you to help her face her destiny. Sunrise is the only one that can kill the last two Elementals. But the question remains. When the time comes will she be able to look Eaglestrike in the eyes and kill him to free the world of Crimson?"

A tremor travelled up Tornheart's legs. Surely there was another way to defeat Crimson. "Does he have to die? Is there not another way?"

She sighed sadly, "I do not know. Killing him seems like the safest way to ensure that Crimson dies for good this time. Perhaps you will be able to work out another way before the time comes." Sitara glanced at Eaglestrike's vision. "He had such a bright light," she mused, "it has lessened considerably. I do not wish death upon anyone. For his sake I hope you do find another way."

"I will do everything I can to ensure that he lives," Tornheart vowed.

"And I believe you. There is however another matter you must deal with first. Your Clans must leave the mountains. Crimson knows where you are. She has allies that will drive the Clans to extinction. Get them out of the mountains," Sitara demanded.

Tornheart couldn't stop her magic from cracking anxiously. "Take them where? Where are we supposed to go? Nowhere is safe for us."

"Where do you have an advantage?" she pressed, "where do you know the lay of the land better than Crimson and her allies? Where will they feel safest?"

"The valley," Tornheart breathed. Her brow furrowed. "What about my future?"

"You know what your future is. It has not changed." The visions, all of them, were dimming. Around her the stars were fading. Tornheart blinked in the growing darkness. Sitara still stood in front of her, pelt pulsing with light. Her eyes like twin suns glew. The dream was collapsing around them.

"Five have been chosen, born in the darkest of times, blessed by the purest of hearts, soiled by the harshest of lives. They will cast out the shadows and bring back the light. But not without hardships, for all victories must be won with loss. In the end, when the sun has died, two will stand against Her, the strongest of those Chosen. Yet the darkness will continue to corrupt, a stalker of shadows will rise against the elements, and an era will die. Only with death shall peace be found."

Then the dream was gone and Tornheart lurched awake. Beneath her the hard ground of the basin was uncomfortable, little stones digging into her side. A trickle of blood oozed from her nose and dribbled across her lips. Inside her her magic was running wild, zipping through her veins, flaring all over the place, arcing into the open air in little flashes of green light. It could sense the revival of a grand power, Crimson's power, and it wanted to be as far from it as possible. Paws scuffed against the ground and her magic roared to life to protect its host.

"Woah!" Arrow stumbled away from the fiery wall. "You know I'm not going to hurt her, idiot. Let me through."

Tornheart reeled her magic back in, securing it in the well deep inside her. Her entire body was buzzing with the feeling of danger. Sitara was right. They had to get away from the mountains. If the valley was the only place safe for them now then so be it. Sunrise could deal with the remaining Elementals. She'd already killed one. They would help her.

"Are you okay?" Arrow nuzzled into her neck.

She purred. "Yes, I'm fine. What happened?"

"The thing Crimson did with her power threw everyone to the ground but it only knocked you, Sunrise, and the Chosen out. Willowclaw just woke up and is checking on Icepetal. Sunrise is still out of it." She followed his line of sight to where Sunrise lay on the ground, stretched out and in deep slumber - she wondered where the apprentice was and what she was seeing.

"Take her into the healer's den," Tornheart said. "When she wakes up come get me."

Her mate did as she asked without question. Sunrise was much bigger than the last time Arrow had carried her. She was nearly as big as he was now; nearly an adult. Gently he stuck his muzzle under her belly and wriggled till she rested over his shoulders.

"What are we supposed to do now!?" Singingriver cried. "Amory is gone!"

Tornheart took a deep breath. Would they listen to her? Would they trust her? She had done everything in her power to help these Clans. Now it was time to prove if they still saw her as the Betrayer. "We leave the mountains and return to the valley."

Silence. Then Stormhawk blurted, "leave the mountains? Are you stupid? Have you forgotten who's in the valley?"

"We can't go down there. We'll die!" Pebblefrost shouted.

"Sunrise will protect us," Tornheart raised her voice to be heard over the panic. "She has already killed one Elemental. The valley is the only safe place for us now. Crimson knows where we are. So do the Elementals. If we stay here we're just offering ourselves up to her as pretty sacrifices. We have to leave."

Whitefire stopped helping Smokefoot clean blood from a scrape on his shoulder to level Tornheart with a terrified stare. "So that really was Crimson in Eaglestrike's body then? She came back to finish her off." She snorted, "I actually believed Eaglestrike when he told us he and Willowclaw had killed her. Now I'm not so sure."

"They did kill her. But Crimson is immortal to some degree. She took advantage of Eaglestrike's weak state of mind to sneak a bit of her soul into his mind. Her body is dead. Her soul still lives trapped in his body," Tornheart replied.

"I'm going to kill her." Shiverlight's eyes were dark, face grim. Her claws scraped hollows in the dirt. "I'll find where she's hiding and kill her. We won't have to leave the mountains if she's dead."

Tornheart shook her head. "You can't. If you attack Eaglestrike's body you'll kill him too." The assassin faltered, fear slipping into her gaze. "It's not as simple as that. I don't know how to kill her without willing him."

"We can't leave the mountains. We have to wait for Amory. He'll know what to do. Let's just wait for him to come back, okay?" Singingriver rambled. "Just wait. Wait. Amory will come back. He promised to protect us."

From the willow leaves Risingwhisper emerged, looking every inch the mate of Fallenshadow, strong and fierce even in her old age. She curled her lip at her daughter and spat, "love has turned you into an idiot. RisingClan deserves a better leader. Amory killed Wrenfeather or can you not smell his scent all over her? He spilled Clan blood. He is our enemy now. Tornheart is right." The elder heaved a shaky breath, "I remember a timid apprentice, frightened and alone, looking for a better future. We cannot blame Tornheart for the mistakes she made when young. Young ones are easily swayed by promises of glory and beauty. She's done everything she can to redeem herself. I trust her."

"But...we need a leader," Mudstripe said, "someone to look after us. Amory was that leader. He took good care of us. Maybe Wrenfeather did something she shouldn't."

"Amory was nothing more than a murdering coward." Heathersky looked furious, and awfully sad. "He threatened us with death for breaking laws he knew he could not uphold any other way. He took runts from litters and killed them, afraid they would weaken his already weak Clans. Do you not remember these things, Mudstripe? I will never forget the dawn he came into the nursery and stole my little Rainkit from me. Never again will I live under his rule. I refuse to put any other kits in danger. I refuse to let him take one of Icepetal's kits. No more."

Stormwhisker grinned. "I have missed the cliffs I used to call home. We are not safe there and we are not safe here but I sure would rather die in my old territory."

"I want to chase squirrels in actual forests again!" Fadedtail shouted gleefully.

"I want the apprentices to see the places we came from. I want them to hunt under the trees I know so well, and chase hares over the dunes," Blackfoot purred.

Soaringhawk brushed up against Risingwhisper and purred, "we don't need Amory to be strong. We're Clan cats. We're born strong." He looked over at Shiverlight's kits, "and even those that come to us from far away grow to be just as strong."

"Let's go home," Blizzardfang rumbled.

A sharp hiss threaded from Singingriver's throat. Her face was scrunched up tightly, anger crouched in the corners of her eyes. "So you are all just planning to turn your backs on Amory? After all he's done for us? Despicable."

"You are more than welcome to stay here and wait for him," Tornheart told her. "We will not judge you for wishing to take a different path. The point still stands though, he killed Wrenfeather. Do you really want to abandon your Clan for a murderer?"

RisingClan's leader shared a heated look with her mother, one that left her with a curled lip and a bitter voice. "He is not a murderer. Leave if you all want. In the end I will be the one who survives."

"There will be no place for you if you wish to return," Risingwhisper spat. "Dancingwave would be ashamed of you."

"Come on then!" Foxfeather shouted, "let's get going!"

As one the Clans moved. Icepetal, weak and tired but alive, rested over Willowclaw's back, smiling lazily at her mate. Her kits were held safely by him and Singe. The two brother's, so unalike in everything, held a conversation with no words. There was a soft warmth in Singe's face. Sunrise had awoken, groggy and looking a little out of sorts she meandered absently beside them. It troubled Tornheart to see the apprentice so quiet. They were placing a lot of responsibility on her shoulders. She had not forgotten what Sitara had told her.

The last to leave the basin, Tornheart paused to look back at Singingriver. She crouched in the middle of the camp, head down, ears flat. "Leave her," Marah appeared at her side. "She has been corrupted by Amory's charm. There will be no changing her mind."

"You don't wish to stay and wait for him?" The healer was leaving with them, which was strange. Marah had known Amory for moons more than anyone else had. Their bond was stronger, they were closer. Why wasn't she waiting for him?

"There are things that cat has done that I do not agree with. I do not have long left to live, I am tired and old. I would like to live out the rest of my days in relative peace. Besides," she snorted, glancing back at the Clans where they walked away, "I have come to love treating these idiots. They appreciate the things I do for them."

Tornheart smiled. "We are more than happy to have you."

"Yes, well, you'd be a bit lost without me. Redflower is a good healer but goodness she needs more training."

"We called healer's medicine cats a long time ago," Tornheart mused quietly.

Marah hummed thoughtfully. "I rather like the sound of that."

Though she was pleased the Clans were finally going home Tornheart could not shake the unease. Her magic was still acting up, ferocious in its protectiveness. Crimson was out there somewhere, planning, scheming, waiting for her chance to finish what she started long ago. She sighed. It felt like a lifetime ago that Crimson had stood in the forest on the Isle and promised beauty in return for servitude. The scars on her face twinged. Sitara's words still haunted her.

Only with death shall peace be found.


	35. Chapter Thirty-Five: Storm Within

**Chapter Thirty-Five: Storm Within**

With careful paws and quiet hearts, the Clans returned to their valley. But it was not their valley anymore, had not been for moons. It did not accept them with warm, welcoming arms, did not cheer at their awaited return. Their home was vastly different. Frozen. Covered in a thick layer of frost and snow, a gift from the Queen of Cold herself. A second leaf bare had returned to the valley, and as they crept further into its shadows they watched over their shoulders as the chill spread its wings and soared over the mountains. Wherever they went they would not be safe, not from Ice, not from Crimson, not from the embracing cold. They startled when a soft, invisible blanket fell over their pelts. It sucked the chill away and replaced it with gentle warmth. Sunrise strode through the white, her shadows wreathing her paws as she walked, looking every inch the Shadowstalker she was.

The bedraggled group of cold cats traipsed through their old home, making their way through RisingClan's territory; through the thin pine forest, past the towers of ice. Tornheart lead them, Arrow at her side, to High Star Isle - the very centre of the valley. It was there she believed they would all be safest. An attack would have to cross the murky river which she knew now would be frozen. A small barricade against the monsters hunting them. Whatever happened over the course of the next moon would set the fate of them all in stone.

Sunrise pretended she didn't feel such a heavy weight laying across her shoulders. It was down to her to protect them all from the Elementals. She'd killed one, yes, but Wind had been nothing like Ice. Ice was a maniac, a murderess, a she-cat with seasons upon seasons of skill behind her. Sunrise was nothing more than an apprentice out in the depths, lost in a war she wanted no part of. But, she glanced back, watching Willowclaw help Icepetal walk, the queen weak but alive. She looked at the kits they carried, the tiny lives they had brought into this world. She let her eyes wander over them, over each and every cat around her, every warrior, apprentice, kit and queen. For them she would tear the world apart. They had accepted every bit of her, welcomed her, given her a home, treated her like a normal apprentice despite the heritage she carried in her blood. For that kindness she would protect them.

"Are you okay?" Aspenthorn asked.

She nodded.

"Thank you for the warmth," he said, then drifted back to Fadedtail's side.

Yes, for them she would fight.

Even when they gingerly crossed the frozen river and stepped onto the Isle, the Clans were quiet. In shock perhaps, maybe silently relieved that they were finally home even if their home was rejecting their presence. It was a flurry of activity that had Sunrise fading into the background. Arrow made his paws bleed scraping ice off the bottoms of trees so they could reach the moss beneath. Tornheart climbed the hill to the thrones, closed her eyes, and let her power sink into the world around her. A shield grafted itself, climbed high, arced over their heads, sealed the Isle from the valley. Some of the cold faded. They could have used Cyrith's powers at a time like this. Spotting Icepetal curling up on a bit of ground Willowclaw had dusted free of snow, Sunrise let a little extra darkness flow towards her, let it wrap the new queen in a comforting bubble. More of it she poured onto the kits. They would not survive the chill if left unaided.

Quietly, Sunrise slipped away unnoticed. As much as she wanted to stay and help she needed to get away, to breathe. Because deep inside she was _furious_. Amory had betrayed her. He'd lied and abandoned them, left the Clans without the leader they had grown so used to. It made her blood boil. She'd made the deal knowing he wasn't a trustworthy cat but hoping that somewhere in him was a speck of affection for the Clans he lead. He had proven there was none. She was going to rip him apart for that, sink her shadows so deep into his body he'd feel them even after death. A shadow lashed out on its own, slicing through a tree branch. Every inch of her quivered with rage.

She walked without purpose, cutting through a frozen swamp, swinging to the right at one point to avoid a cluster of fallen trees. At her side materialised two shadow cats. The valley was still dangerous, even more so for her. Ice and Earth would not stop till she was dead. Maybe her mother would help them. She certainly hadn't been happy to see Sunrise.

Her face fell into a scowl. She'd kill all of them. Amory, Earth, Ice, Crimson. It would be by her claws and teeth that they died. Nobody elses. She wanted them to realise that an apprentice had defeated them, had fought against them and won. She wanted to look into Crimson's eyes and watch the realisation that her very own daughter had stopped her from destroyed the Clans, her very flesh and blood the reason she had failed. Her own mother would regret ever birthing her. That was the way it had to be. A Shadowstalker would save the world, as was their duty, their birthright. She would make the ones waiting in the sunny afterlife proud of her.

She faltered, forepaw raised. Would she have to kill Eaglestrike to kill Crimson? A log to her left exploded, darkness renting it apart. She couldn't kill him. No. No. She wouldn't. Not him. He'd taught her so much. He'd looked down at her on the ledge outside the mountain that morning, seen her mother in her left eye and her father in her right, remembered the awful things her mother had done to his kin, and smiled at her - warm and soft. Had brought a big paw around her and tugged her to nestle against him. Had welcomed her. Had loved her. He and Willowclaw were fathers to her, wonderful replacements for the father she'd never met.

Now it seemed she would have to kill one of them. Her shadow cats buckled under the wave of power Sunrise expelled, at the howl of grief and anger that ripped free. Deep in CedarClan's territory, Sunrise's shadows brought trees thundering to the ground, great fissures leaking sap opening up in their thick wood. Brought to her knees by the weight of the world, Sunrise could not stop the power lashing out from her, the potent darkness that ripped up the earth and sucked the very light out of the forest. To her it seemed like an impossible chasm to escape.

Until her ears caught a quiet cry of pain.

Immediately the light returned, the shadows fell, her head cleared. There was frantic rustling amongst the leaves of a fallen cedar and terrified, muffled squeaking. Sunrise's heart stuttered. Slowly she crept towards the shifting leaves, crouched down low, belly dragging along the ripped up grass and dirt. With a gentle paw she moved the leaves, uncovering a little, brown bird. A thrush. One of its wings was twisted and limp. Sunrise felt sick. She'd done that. Injured an innocent little bird. It saw her and flew into a panic, squawking at the top of its lungs.

Before she could even contemplate what to do about the injured bird there was the sound of paws scuffling over grass. Sunrise whirled around with a loud snarl, pelt bristling, only to find Soran standing on the edge of the destruction, yellow eyes wide - awestruck.

"You really are magnificent," Soran whispered. "No wonder Sheara is so interested in you. You're stronger than any of us were."

"What are you doing here?" she spat at him. He was the last cat she could deal with right now. Literally anyone else was more welcome than him. At least if it had have been Earth or Ice she would have been able to carve her rage into their bones.

He gave her a calculating look, eyed every inch of her bristling body as if weighing up the dangers of getting any closer to her. Soran was careful, cautious, because he knew Sunrise was not aware of the way she looked right now, eyes aflame, shadows roiling along her pelt like snakes, devastation spread at her paws. She looked like he had a long time ago when he stood on the edge of a precipice and tumbled into the waiting darkness.

"You sent out a wave of power so strong it quivered even our world. We wanted to know what had happened," he explained.

Sunrise snorted, "so they sent you?"

"Trust me I was not the first cat to offer. It was Leon's idea. He says hello by the way." Soran stepped into the destruction, picking his way through the leaves and fallen trees.

"I didn't think any of you could come down to the living world."

"We can, but there stopped being reasons to come here a long time ago. We are all much older than you are, Sunrise. Our families and friends are long gone," he said.

Sunrise flinched. She couldn't imagine spending an eternity without her family by her side. "I'm sorry."

He paused, ears flicked back, almost as if he was unused to hearing those words. "We have come to terms with it. Now, tell me what happened. What made you lose that perfect control you usually have?"

So she told him. About the deal she'd forced Amory to make, the wolves, Eaglestrike's corruption, Icepetal's capture, Cyrith's sacrifice, Crimson's return, the suffocating weight of responsibility that felt like it could break her. With each word spilled she felt her hysteria returning, her shadows rumbling around her. "How did you deal with it all?" she demanded when she had finished.

"I didn't," Soran answered. "I turned away from the goodness of what I could be because it was too difficult."

"Am...am I doing that?" Her voice quivered.

"No. Not yet, any way. It will always be a possibility. But the others believe you have a strong enough heart to survive all this," he reminded.

Sunrise turned her head away, looking down at the thrush. It had gone completely still now, terrified into a panicked silence. It's tiny body rose and fell with frantic, scared breaths. The broken wing was splayed out and twitching. "I did this," she whispered. "All it took was a betrayal and I did this. What if I'm not what everyone thinks I am? What if I am too weak?"

"It's not a matter of strength, Sunrise. It's a matter of belief." Soran brushed up beside her. "You have to believe you can do it. You have to believe you'll stay good. You have to believe in yourself. Or you'll end up like me."

"I don't even know if I'll survive a fight against Ice," Sunrise said miserably.

"No one would think any less of you. You killed Wind. That, for us, is enough. Though it might not be enough for this world," he replied quietly.

She twitched an ear, "what do you mean it might not be enough for this world?"

"Sheara believes you are the last Shadowstalker. I think so too. You're leagues stronger than any of us ever were. You are this world's last stand against the Elementals. Once you are gone there will be no one left to stop them."

Fear dropped like a stone in Sunrise's belly. It wasn't just the Clans counting on her, it was the world. If she could not do it then no one would ever be able to do it. Her voice was strangled when she said, "I can't do it."

Soran shook his head. "You can do anything you put your mind to. The shadows know everything, all you need to do is give them an order."

The bird released a frail warble. Sunrise focused on its wing. Her shadows rushed up to do her bidding, grasping onto her order, vicious in their need to fulfil, to please. Fix it. They curled around the wing. It jerked roughly, the bird shrieked. Where feathers had been ripped clean her shadows took their place, adopting the same colour and shape, becoming the bird. In an instant it was done. Her damage fixed. A soft touch from a shadow had the bird shifting uneasily to its feet. With an eye on the two cats watching it flexed its wings, flapped them a few times, and squawked happily. Sunrise released the breath she'd been holding, and the bird fluttered into the air, whistled at her, then disappeared into the forest.

"See?" Soran sounded smug. "I told you."

"I bet you've been waiting to say that since you arrived," Sunrise retorted.

He grinned. "I would never."

"Why are you even here, Soran? Why do you care what happens to me?" she asked suddenly. "I thought you made it very clear what you thought of me that night I first visited."

For the first time since she'd seen him on the beach, Soran looked sad. "I would never want such a young cat to do the things I did when I let that darkness claim me. You never forget it. You are never forgiven for it. Your fur remains as dark as the night to tell the whole world what you did. It is not something I wish for you to go through."

"So you do care," Sunrise cooed.

Soran groaned. "Leon's laughing at me right now I can feel it."

"You can go back now, if you want," Sunrise smiled. "I'm okay."

He glanced around the devastated pocket of forest then said in a low voice, "you know it's coming right?" At her confused expression he added, "your final stand. All of you have returned to the home you lost moons ago. The final twist has played out. All the pieces are in place. Are you ready?"

"I don't think I'll ever be ready to look my mother in the eyes, in the body she stole from someone I loved, and kill her. But I won't hesitate. I know what's at stake," she said strongly.

Soran inclined his head, his form rapidly fading. "You're braver than you realise, Sunrise." Then he was gone and the forest was quiet. Within her body the rage had subsided. It no longer rushed through her veins and turned her blood molten. It had faded. The fear of losing herself was stronger. She was still angry about Amory and looked forward to gutting him the next time they met. For now, however, there was nothing she could do about it.

There had been a plan to her sneaking away from the Isle. It hadn't really involved losing it in the middle of a cedar forest. In fact running all the way here hadn't helped at all. She needed to be in RisingClan's territory. She needed to find Wind's remains. Something Cyrith had said had given her an idea. It was a shaky plan at best, but it would give her an edge when Ice finally came looking for her.

She sighed and began the long trek from one end of the valley to the other.

It was evening when she spotted the path they'd taken back into the mountain after finding Icepetal. So, she looked to her left, Wind's body was somewhere over there. Tilting her head she scented the air, then wrinkled it. The smell of death caught her nose. Yes, her body was definitely nearby. Slowly Sunrise crept towards it. A gentle wind grew stronger, as did the stench.

There. By the tree Wind had thrown at her. She twitched an ear, it had a split in it from that tree. Her shoulder had a thin scar down it. Wind had given her that one in their scuffle. For her first proper fight, by herself, she'd done quite well. Rather well indeed if the patchy remains of Wind were anything to go by. Rot hadn't set in yet, but the maggots were present. They wriggled and writhed in the open wounds, in her mouth, around her eyes.

Sunrise swallowed. The smell was enough to turn her stomach. She wanted to turn around and walk away. She couldn't though. That _feeling_ deep in her bones that she always got around the Elementals was back. At first she'd thought it was her instincts warning her of danger. She'd worked out what it truly was when she'd helped Cyrith. It wasn't her instincts. It was their power. It was their power roiling in the air, so strong it could not be contained by just their bodies. She grinned. Wind's hadn't faded back into the world yet.

Her shadows came as they always did when called, dangling from the trees, rushing from every corner and crevice. They felt like a friend now. To the shadow cat that materialised at her side she said, "make it ours."

They nodded, red eyes glinting in the final light of the day. Cyrith had said she needed permission to take away their powers, but what if they couldn't give an answer? An edge, something to make her more powerful than Ice, was what she needed. Her shadow cat turned to fluid darkness and covered Wind's body. There was no connection like with Cyrith. Just a coldness that settled over her when that single shadow strand latched onto her chest. Death's coldness, she realised.

It was nothing compared to the slimy feeling of Wind's power entering her body. A Shadowstalker was never supposed to wield the power of their enemies. She purred. That was why they would never expect it. She let loose a big breath and fire flickered on the expelled air. Did she feel a little bad about betraying Cyrith's trust? Yes. But she needed his power, needed Wind's, to stand a chance.

The connection dropped when the last of Wind's power dribbled into her veins. Her power no longer buzzed uselessly in the air. It was Sunrise's now. It answered to a Shadowstalker. A crime against nature perhaps but no one was around to stop her. Sheara would probably kill her if she ever found out. No one was going to find out until Ice showed up to finish what she'd started and by then it would be too late for the others to do anything.

Gently she asked the wind to shift another direction. Without even a little resistance it went from brushing with her fur to pushing against it. Their powers were much like her own. Ask and it would do. The fire was stubborn, much like the blood. The wind it seemed was more like the shadow, quite happy to do whatever its master asked.

There was no need for her to stay out in the cold anymore.

Tornheart was waiting when she got back, sitting up on the hill by the thrones, staring at them with haunted eyes. According to Willowclaw, Tornheart had been alive when those thrones had been home to four very powerful cats. Back when a bloody game was played.

"Where have you been?" Tornheart asked without turning around.

"Exploring."

She watched the she-cat turn away from the thrones. If she gave Tornheart any idea of where she'd been she'd be busted. "Really? So that little explosion over in CedarClan's territory had nothing to do with you then?" Tornheart asked.

"That was me but nothing happened! I just needed to...let some of it out," Sunrise said quickly. Not a lie exactly.

Tornheart still looked sceptical. "You'd tell me if something was wrong, right? You know you can come to me and tell me anything?"

"I know." _There are just some things I can't tell you right now. You'd never understand_. "Why are you still awake?"

"There are interesting stories written on those thrones. I always wanted to come back and read more of them, but a lot kept me away. Time passed. I wanted to read a little tonight before anything else happened," she replied. "You can only control shadows and blood, right?"

Startled, though she didn't let it show, Sunrise blurted, "yes."

Tornheart hummed thoughtfully. "No more running off by yourself. It's too dangerous. We need to work on your training more too. Not just your powers, your fighting as well. Willowclaw will help. We must all be ready."

"I won't run off again, I promise."

"Goodnight, Sunrise."

The next few days were brutal. Willowclaw and Tornheart worked her to the bone, pushing and pushing. Eagle"strike had taught her the basics of fighting, Amory had expanded on them. It wasn't enough apparently. Icepetal had watched her take part in a mock fight with Spiderpaw, assessing the both of them. Spiderpaw was days away from a warrior ceremony and he fought like it too. She gave it her all. He beat her. "Nothing to be ashamed of," Icepetal had said, "there is more for you to learn."

She would have rathered Icepetal teach her, but she and Arrow were teaching the warriors how to fight like a city cat, rough and dirty. It was unlikely that Crimson would be able to scrounge up another army. Still, the she-cat shouldn't be underestimated. An army was to be expected and planned for. Besides, Icepetal was still too weak to take part in any fights, mock or not. The birth of her kits had weakened her body to the point of near death. It was going to take her a few more days to grow back to full strength.

In the night she snuck off the Isle, leaving a blanket of shadow over the cats sleeping to keep them warm in Ice's chill. SnowClan's territory was far enough away to ensure no one would notice her practicing. The fire was still stubborn, still refused to obey. It was getting easier, slowly, nowhere near quick enough. Ice could come any day. Crimson could show up any day. The waiting was maddening.

Tornheart knew something was wrong. She followed Sunrise around wherever she could, always hanging around, always listening. Sunrise wondered if she could sense the extra power she was carrying.

They'd understand when it was all over, why she did what she did. Until then it would remain a secret.

A tree in front of her burst into flames. A harsh wind blew the flames right out, and her shadows buried the ash beneath a pile of snow.

For her family she would do anything.

Even become what a Shadowstalker was supposed to fight.


	36. Chapter Thirty-Six: United

**Chapter Thirty-Six: United**

"We're never going to be ready for when either of them attacks," Willowclaw sighed, rubbing at his face. He was tired. They were all tired. Everyone, _even_ Shiverlight's kits, were tired. Training could only do so much. In reality the only two cats capable of defeating Crimson and the remaining Elementals were Tornheart and Sunrise. The rest were essentially distractions to buy time. Even the final two Chosen might not be able to defeat Crimson a second time.

"The waiting is killing me," Icepetal muttered. "She's just sitting up in those mountains somewhere watching us squirm. So's Ice. It's driving me insane."

"Her real name's Atsiya," Sunrise said quietly.

Tornheart leaned forwards, "how do you know that?"

"She told me." Not exactly a lie. "That day she ambushed me when I was on patrol with Amory."

"It feels eerily similar to the days before the city battle," Shiverlight hissed. "That was unnerving enough."

Willowclaw wrinkled his nose, "aren't you city cats used to war?"

"War?" Arrow laughed, "we were never brave enough for outright war. No, city wars are much different than your average war. They were fought with assassins. Not with soldiers. We are just as new to this as you lot are."

"There used to be stories in the city about the ferociousness of the Clan cats, about how you threw yourselves into war over meager scraps," Shiverlight snorted. "We used to glorify you all so much."

Icepetal grinned, teeth sharp. "Glad we lived up to that expectation."

"The only expectation you lot have lived up to is your ridiculously unwavering loyalty to each other. It's sickening," Shiverlight stuck her tongue out, eyes twinkling with mirth.

"In times like this our loyalty is all that keeps us going," Tornheart said softly.

"If anyone has sickeningly unwavering loyalty, it's Tornheart," Arrow purred. "She's done so much for these Clans knowing that they might never stop hating her. That's loyalty."

Willowclaw looked around the clearing. They were huddled up on the hill with the thrones, their group of misfits and outsiders. He wondered if the other Clan cats thought they were discussing battle plans. "I don't think many of them hate you any longer," he said.

"Do any of them still hate me?" Sunrise asked.

Icepetal flicked her shoulder with her tail. "If Aspenthorn likes you then everyone likes you. He's always been the last cat to like an outsider."

"Why _does_ Aspenthorn hate you so much?" Shiverlight pried.

"He picked me to do his final fighting assessment against. I think he believed all outsiders were weaker than Clan cats. I beat him. He's hated me ever since," Icepetal purred.

Willowclaw's laughter was loud. "You know," he said into the fur around her neck, "I'm not even slightly surprised."

"Serves him right for underestimating us outsiders," Arrow puffed his chest out.

Sunrise felt a sense of peace, safety, and happiness settle over her. She felt normal for the first time in her life, sitting with friends in the late evening, talking and laughing. It was how she'd always dreamed life to be outside the mountain. Her _family_. A bizarre, muddled, disfunctional family, but a family all the same. They had dragged a little kitten, the offspring of their greatest enemy, and given them a home; raised them, taught them, loved them, and asked for nothing in return. They did not blame her for the things her mother had done.

Her anger at Amory returned. He would pay for what he had done, for using the Clans, for using Eaglestrike, for using her. She'd promised him safety, vowed she would get rid of the wolves once the Clans were safe, and he'd betrayed her; run off with Crimson the first chance he'd got.

 _Wait. The wolves!_

"We have another problem," she interrupted.

Icepetal blinked, " _another_ problem? Don't we already have enough?"

"What is it?" Tornheart asked.

"I...I followed Amory one night - the night Pebblepaw vanished. He'd been acting weird and I wanted to know what he was up to, so I snuck out after him. He was carrying Pebblepaw, took her all the way to the very edge of the territory, where that huge stone arch is, and beyond. There's a lake not too far from there. That's where he went." She paused. If she went any further with this story, would she have to tell them about the deal she'd made with Amory? Did they need to know? Would they judge her? "I watched him turn Pebblepaw over to _them_ , as a gift. He gave her to wolves to be eaten so they would not kill him."

Willowclaw snarled, "that rotten fleabag!"

"Why would the wolves kill him specifically? Why not all of us?" Arrow murmured.

"Because he'd made a deal with them, a long time ago. They saved his life and in return he promised them he'd find territory far from other packs. That's why he's here. For the wolves the valley is perfect. But when he arrived the Clans were there, destroyed, broken, but still there. So he won them over, became their leader, and removed them so the wolves could have their land. He might have vanished long before we showed up if it wasn't for the Elementals; he needs them gone before he can hand the valley over."

"If Amory has joined Crimson, then it means she has the wolves too," Tornheart said.

Shiverlight groaned, slouching. "Another war against Crimson is catastrophic enough but wolves we will never beat. They'll kill us all."

Nodding Arrow added, "it's also likely that she has Ice and Earth with her too. Didn't you say the Elementals had been sent by her, Willowclaw?"

"That's what they told us when we first met them," Willowclaw answered, "but they don't really seem like the type to willingly work for another."

"I get the feeling that when it comes to death and destruction they don't care who they have to work for to get it," Icepetal hissed.

"There's been something bothering me about Crimson ever since that day in the basin," Tornheart said. "She was already in control of Eaglestrike's body, it wasn't a new thing. But she hadn't made any attempt to kill us until she took some of Sunrise's power. Since she took it we haven't seen her either."

Willowclaw tilted his head. "What are you getting at?"

"It's possible that she doesn't have very much power left at all. She was weak when you killed her. She was weak when she stole away in Eaglestrike's body, and she was weak when she took over him. All she has is the little bit she took from Sunrise," Tornheart explained. "When she attacks she won't be leading. The wolves, the Elementals, they'll be leading."

"That does help us a little but how many of us will be left alive when her army is dead?" Shiverlight said.

Sunrise flexed her claws into the grass. "I can kill them."

"We need you to kill the Elementals, Sunrise. You can't be everywhere at once," Icepetal said sadly. "We just have to accept that not everyone will survive."

"Everyone here knows that. Everyone here took vows to protect their Clans," Shiverlight agreed.

"What about Eaglestrike?" Arrow questioned.

Tornheart flattened her ears. "The safest way to ensure Crimson's defeat...is to kill him. Without a host her soul will fade."

"Isn't there any other way?" Shiverlight whispered. "He's my mate."

"I will do everything I can. But if he is lost, if there is no way he can return, his body will have to die," Tornheart replied.

"With or without him, Shiverlight, you will always have a home and a family here," Icepetal promised.

"Thank you," she smiled.

"Hey, Sunrise!" She flinched when her name was called, then stared over her shoulder at the cat that had called her. Stonepaw stared back, pale muzzle tweaked up into a smile. "Come eat with us?" Behind him were the other apprentices, all seven of them - the future of the Clans, faces framed with an innocence that would be lost when Crimson struck. "Breezepaw _really_ wants to spend time with you."

Sunrise looked back at the others.

"Go ahead. You might as well act like a normal apprentice every now and again," Willowclaw purred.

Tornheart watched Sunrise trot down the hill and meet the other apprentices with a careful gaze. Something buzzed in the air around the she-cat, something charged and electric. Whatever it was, good or bad, Sunrise refused to tell anyone. That was worrying. Especially given Sitara's warning. "I want you all to watch over Sunrise," she said.

"Aren't we already?" Icepetal murmured. "There's only so much we can do for her. The rest is up to her."

"I know, but something's different about her."

Arrow laughed quietly, fondly. "She's growing up, Tornheart. The little kit we met in the mountain has become a strong cat. You worry too much."

"He's right," Willowclaw grinned. "She'll be a warrior soon."

Tornheart sighed. Maybe she was worrying too much. "I hope she survives. Even if none of us do, I hope she does. She deserves the chance to live a long life."

"We'll make sure she does," Shiverlight said.

Still, Tornheart watched. She was never far from Sunrise. When she played tag with the other apprentices. When she threw herself into training, listening to Icepetal's every word, making her bones ache. When she sat by herself during the night, threading a blanket of shadows over each and every cat, eye closed, ears listening. But there were times when Tornheart's eyes were not watching, when she slept beside her mate. That was when Sunrise slipped away, careful paws, apprehension in every step, to practice those stolen gifts.

The others looked out for Sunrise, but did not more. They believed Sunrise to be wholly good, and Tornheart did too, but that dark temptation was never far off. Everyone had felt it, though not everyone would want to admit it. Icepetal had, when she considered leaving the Clans behind to follow Cyrith. Willowclaw had, when Eaglestrike had ripped everything apart. One day Sunrise would too. Tornheart just hoped it would be when the world was safe, when the danger had passed and Sunrise was sure enough of herself to say no, to turn away from the dark and walk back to the sun.

Because to Tornheart, Sunrise was everything. A beginning, an end, a future she would never get to have. A cat that could have gone down the same path she did, but chose the other.

Tornheart would give up her own life to watch Sunrise grow old peacefully.

* * *

He wondered if the others missed him or if they were glad he was gone. The way they'd acted when Crimson had revealed herself had been promising, but was their anger just because she'd come back? He knew he didn't really deserve to be missed. The things he'd done, the things he'd said, they way he'd acted, it had been awful. At least now he knew why it had been so easy to turn on Willowclaw, to ruin the love between him and Icepetal. The hatred, the jealousy, the need to be stronger - it had all been Crimson. Ever since they'd arrived at the basin she'd been working away at him, turning him into the shell he'd been that night in the rain, ensuring that when she asked he would accept. He hated himself for giving in.

What was done was done and all he could do now was watch. Crimson was efficient, he'd give her that. A new army had been created out of practically nowhere. Turned out Amory was just as bad as Icepetal had always assumed. Eaglestrike had wanted to be surprised, but deep down he'd always known there was something off about the golden tom. The traitor was no one now, cast to the side one his usefulness had faded. Sometimes, if Crimson happened to be looking nearby, Eaglestrike would catch the sad looks Amory would send their way. He wondered if Amory blamed himself. He shouldn't. It wasn't his fault. Not really.

His wolves were the apple of Crimson's borrowed eye. They made a terrifying armada, huge and armed with teeth strong enough to split skulls. Ja'zahr had been more than willing to join forces with Crimson if it won him the land he'd been waiting for. Amory thought his life had been spared, Crimson making the wolves ensure they would let him live. Eaglestrike knew better. He and Crimson shared a head after all. As soon as the Clans were gone, the wolves would be given permission to rip Amory to shreds. Crimson had no need for untrustworthy traitors in her army.

The arrival of Ice and Earth had been a minor surprise. Eaglestrike hadn't really expected them to want to work with Crimson. They seemed to be doing just fine on their own. Perhaps Sunrise was more than just a little problem for them. She had killed Wind. It was immensely pleasing to know that they were scared. Sunrise would beat them. Sunrise would make sure the Clans were safe. He had faith in her.

"Why do you still believe in them so much?" Crimson huffed.

During the night they shared dreams. It was the only time he had his own body back, even if it was just a figment of his imagination.

"Because I know they can beat you," he answered.

"That kind of blind faith is ridiculous," she snorted.

Eaglestrike rolled his eyes. "Are you going to kill Sunrise?"

"You think I'd kill my greatest asset? No, no. I won't kill her. One day she'll work with me," Crimson purred, smiling cruelly.

"If you say so."

That was his life. Each day he'd watch silently. Each night they sneered and spat and snarled at each other. Crimson couldn't hide anything from him, they shared a mind. He knew just how frightened she was that Sunrise wouldn't want anything to do with her. Facing Tornheart again petrified her. She was right to be scared.

Crimson kept them all waiting. "Let them wallow in their fear," she'd said. "It'll make them weak." So they did. Waited. The sun rose and fell and still they remained by that lake. Tensions rose. Ranks in the wolves fluctuated, betas falling to omegas, omegas rising higher. Yet the alphas remained. Ja'zahr and Dra'hira were a constant. Ice and Earth kept to themselves, quiet silhouettes in the thin trees. The lake froze solid. The trees shuddered. Even their nerves were frayed.

Eaglestrike waited smugly for everything to fall apart. These creatures were not supposed to spend time with each other. The Elemental were built for death, not conversation. The wolves were hungry. He waited for the snap. Blood would spill itself. Soon a wolf would go after one of the cats. It was in their nature.

He would not get to see that happen.

The sun rose strong one morning, warm enough to strain the powerful ice coating the lake. It creaked and groaned. On the ground the snow gave way to slush. Ice slithered from the trees, face pulled into a scowl, muttering under her breath. Her fur was covered in a thin layer of frost. She planted herself in front of Crimson. "How long are you going to keep us waiting here? There are cats in that valley we need to kill."

Crimson stretched lazily, dipping her back till the tension pulled loose. He felt her pull his face into a sly smile. "You won't have to wait any longer, Ice. We go today."

Nearby Ja'zahr's ears twitched. He swaggered over, lanky and powerful all at once. "Did I hear that correctly?"

"You did. I think we have waited long enough. Today you'll get to spill as much blood as you want," Crimson purred.

"There won't be a single cat down there left living," Ja'zahr growled.

"Good."

Ice shifted, the frost on her pelt crackling. "That Shadowstalker is going to create some big problems for us all."

"You are not allowed to kill her," Crimson reminded quietly, voice full of aggression. "Drag her as close to death as you want but she is not to die."

Amory had drifted close. "What am I supposed to do?" he asked.

"Take part. Do some killing. Try to survive," Crimson shrugged.

Silently Eaglestrike prayed the Clans were ready. He could do nothing to warn them. Crimson's grip on him was too strong. He couldn't break past it, couldn't get free. She had him snared. He hoped Tornheart would be able to get rid of her.

They began the trek out of the unknown and back into the mountain territory. It was void of Clan life now. They'd vacated the mountain right after Crimson had revealed herself. A smart decision. It was easier to be trapped in that basin. He bet they all felt safer now they were back in their home. Earth had confirmed that they had made the Isle their home. The river around it might have been decent defence if it hadn't froze over.

He was worried. The Clans were used to fighting other cats but wolves? That was a stretch. They were huge monsters. Far bigger than even a fox and they were bad enough. The closer they got to the valley the worse he felt. He didn't want to just sit back and watch them tear his friends apart.

"Where'd all that blind faith go?" Crimson laughed.

He ignored her.

The mountain turned to fir forest, RisingClan's old home passing quickly by. His worry grew worse. This wasn't just going to be a skirmish. This was outright war. No prisoners. No survivors. It wouldn't stop until one side was dead. He wanted to believe the Clans would come out on top. But believing wouldn't help them.

"Spread out," Crimson ordered. "Wait for the signal then attack the Isle from all direction. Don't give them a chance to run." The wolves did as they were commanded, slipping away quietly. Ja'zahr nodded farewell to Dra'hira who only curled her lip in a wicked smile back before loping off. Amory remained, as did a few wolves. Ice and Earth stayed too. The Clans would witness a united front. Two species come together for one purpose: death.

The Isle came into view. As did the frozen river circling it and the cats playing on the ice. A moss ball skidded from paw to paw, loud cries and shouts following it. Apprentices enjoying the warmth, finding what little joy they could amongst the darkness. Sunrise was among them, laughing, having fun. Fear slid along his spine. They had no idea what was coming. His eyes fell to the opposite shore. There were kits. _His_ kits. Shiverlight was with them, batting pebbles towards them. From the trees emerged Willowclaw and Icepetal, together, talking to each other, looking at each other with so much love. They joined Shiverlight. His heart ached. His fear grew.

Crimson found the Chosen, the last two left, and grinned. "Kill them all."

"Even the little ones?" Ja'zahr asked. He didn't actually care, he was just checking.

"Even the little ones," Crimson replied.

Eaglestrike strained against her grip, pushed and pushed. He would not sit here and watch them destroy his family. They were his family. All of them. Not just Shiverlight and his kits. Sunrise, Willowclaw, Icepetal, Tornheart, Arrow. They were a family. _His_ family. He wouldn't watch them die. Her iron grip shuddered. He felt her surprise slither through him. He surged again. The ties keeping him down snapped.

"No, no, no, no," Crimson seethed, throwing everything at him to keep him back. "You gave yourself over to me. You wanted strength, I gave you strength - the strength to watch your family die at your paws."

He grunted against the weight, the power. "I am not weak anymore."

" _No! You gave me this! You cannot take it away!_ "

The resistance gave way with a crack that echoed through his head. Eaglestrike stepped back into his body. " _Sunrise_!" he caterwauled.

Down on the ice Sunrise snapped her head up. Beside him Ja'zahr threw back his head and howled. From every side of the Isle came screams. Willowclaw and Icepetal bolted back into the trees. Shiverlight frantically herded her kits after them.

But Sunrise remained. She stood, shadows rippling from her pelt, and threw up a wall that two wolves slammed into, necks breaking with a sickening crack. Ice shattered the wall with a loud laugh. The two - Elemental and Shadowstalker - fell into each other, teeth and claws flashing, shadow and frost arcing.

Amory had disappeared, as had Earth and Ja'zahr. Eaglestrike had to get to the others, had to make sure they were safe. Lurching down the hill he skidded onto the ice, unstable legs nearly giving way beneath him. In his head he could hear Crimson shrieking and howling, desperately trying to regain control. It was a tug of war between them, and his body was the prize. But he'd lost his body once. He wasn't about to do it again. The wolves left him well alone. To them he was still Crimson.

He was whiskers away from the clearing when a heavy weight slammed into his side, knocking him into the trunk of a tree. Head spinning he shuffled to his paws, lip curled and teeth bared in a savage snarl. Amory snarled back, golden pelt bristling. "I don't take kindly to being used, Crimson." He pounced. Eaglestrike ducked to the left, flashing out a forepaw to rake claws down Amory's flank.

"I'll let her know you said that," he spat back.

Amory paused, blood trickling from his flank. "Is she..? Are you back?"

"I never really left," he replied, prowling towards him.

"Oh thank goodness. I'm so glad to see you back, Eaglestrike."

Eaglestrike tilted his head, grinning. "I wouldn't be glad if I were you." He brought Amory to the ground with a cruel swipe to his face, adding new scars to the three already there. "You betrayed the Clans."

"I-I didn't have a choice!" Amory cried trying to inch away from Eaglestrike. He spat out a choked cry when Eaglestrike pressed a paw to his throat, claws pricking skin. "She was going to kill me if I didn't help her!"

"So you decided better their lives than mine, right? Those cats out there, the ones fighting for their lives, they trusted you and you betrayed them. We don't take kindly to traitors here," he hissed, pressing those claws just a little deeper. Red slipped past them. "You know she was going to let those wolves kill you."

Before Amory could choke out a reply there was a great splintering noise. Eaglestrike whipped his head around, staring through the grass at the clearing. A tree on the far edge was ripping free, no doubt Earth's work. He was about to turn back and deal with the trembling tom caught in his claws when he noticed who was right in the way of that falling tree. He was off of Amory and running through the clearing in a heartbeat. He splashed through puddles of blood, twisted and turned to avoid cats and wolves locked together. His eyes never strayed from that falling tree or the cat desperately trying to move a terrified apprentice. He would not let one of his friends lose another. He would not let anymore heartache come to them.

Everything seemed to slow down around him. He pushed himself to run faster. In his head Crimson had gone awfully quiet. He was a rabbit leap away. Leaves tumbled down around him. Bunching up his legs beneath him he threw himself at the two cats, knocking them clear.

The tree slammed down.


	37. Chapter Thirty-Seven: Edge of Darkness

**Chapter Thirty-Seven: Edge of Darkness**

Beneath her paws the frozen lake creaked and groaned. It was thick enough to hold their weight, and she felt safe on it, but the feeling was bizarre. She was running across frozen water; a river flowed below, angry at being contained. The other apprentices didn't seem so concerned about it, gleefully sliding a mossball across the slippery ice. They laughed and giggled, paws slipping this way and that. Sunrise smiled, wide and happy, as she chased after the mossball.

The day was warm, the sun more so - shining brilliantly down onto the white valley. For once Sunrise didn't need her coat of shadows. Nor had anyone else except Icepetal's kits. They could always do with a little extra warmth. The mossball whizzed by her paws chased after by a determined Stripepaw. Grinning, Sunrise stuck out a forepaw as he dashed by and he caught it, tumbling head over heels until he landed in a heap a few rabbitleaps away. His sister, Splashpaw, cackled loudly at him. Satisfied, Sunrise batted the mossball between her own paws.

It was a simple game really: keep the ball away from the other team. Add slippery ice into and it became chaos. Spiderpaw crashed into Maplepaw, squawking at the chill of the ice against his skin. Distracted by that Sunrise didn't see Stonepaw creeping up on her till he was right beside her, forepaw sneaking in to fling the mossball away. "You give that back!" Sunrise shouted, giving chase to the gray apprentice.

Under the sun, playing chase with other apprentices, Sunrise could almost pretend she was a normal cat. The looming threat of Crimson seemed so far away.

On the shore Shiverlight played with her own kits - still a little too young to brave the frozen river - flicking pebbles and stones at them. Icepetal and Willowclaw emerged from the thin stretch of forest ringing the Isle, picking their way across the rocky shore to join Shiverlight, their own kits safe under Heathersky's watchful eye. Soon Tornheart would call them all back to the Isle for more training, more preparations. For now they could pretend Crimson didn't exist.

"Hey," Breezepaw had his head tipped back, nose twitching, "do you smell that?"

"Smell what? You?" Bumblepaw teased.

Breezepaw stuck his tongue out at her. "No. Not me. If anything, Spiderpaw smells worse."

"I do not!" Spiderpaw retorted.

"You still smell like that gross mud you fell in yesterday," Maplepaw laughed.

Spiderpaw huffed, "you're all mean and no longer my friends. Sunrise and I are best friends now, we don't need you." He trotted over and flung a paw over her shoulder, "right, Sunrise?"

Holding back a giggle, Sunrise pressed a forepaw to her nose. "No, no, not until you smell better."

He feigned great insult, toppling back against the ice. "I can't believe you'd treat me this way, Sunrise, after all I've done for you!"

"Done for me? All you've done is shake dried mud over me," Sunrise sniffed.

"Unbelievable. I get no thanks these days. No appreciation," Spiderpaw whined.

"While I'm always very excited to tease Spiderpaw, can you all really not smell that?" Breezepaw interrupted.

Stonepaw nosed at his brother's shoulder. "Smell what?" he asked.

"I don't know," Breezepaw replied. "I've never smelled it before."

Sunrise cocked her head to one side and scented the air. It all seemed normal, the fresh smell of snow, the other Clan cats further in the Isle, a faint whiff of stoat, the raw tang of Tornheart's magic that she was wielding nearby. Normal. The fur on the back of her neck bristled. A tingling started in her paws. No...Breezepaw was right. There was something on the air. She sniffed again. It was faint, almost not there; familiar too. _What is it?_ A memory was niggling in the back of her mind. _Where have I smelled this scent before?_

"Nah, I don't recognise it," Stripepaw announced. "I wouldn't worry about it either. Tornheart's keeping us safe."

"She can't keep us safe from everything," Sunrise murmured, thankful that no one heard her. Unbeknownst to her, her unrest was dragging a few shadows across the ice towards her, tiny little things that were more for comfort than protection.

Splashpaw squeaked when one slithered by her paw. "I don't think I'll ever get used to seeing that," she said quietly.

"I think it's cool. Plus it's keeping us safe," Breezepaw huffed.

Spiderpaw pouted. "I want a cool power like that."

"No you don't," Sunrise said.

"What's it feel like?" Breezepaw asked.

Sunrise glanced at him then at the sliver of darkness winding up her legs. "It's amazing. I feel like I'm on top of the world when I use it. But it's dangerous too. There's so much of it, so much I can do with it, and if I'm not careful I could tip off the edge of good and become evil, and that's not something I ever want to do."

"Well...if it makes you feel better none of us think you could ever be evil," Breezepaw purred.

It did make her feel better but before she could open her mouth to answer him her name was shrieked at the same time a howl echoed. Her head snapped towards the opposite shore. Up the slight hill, through the thin trees, stood Eaglestrike, his face pinched with fear. Racing down towards them were wolves.

Sunrise flung up a wall of inky black without even thinking, feeling it shudder when those two wolves careened into it. " _Run!_ " she screeched at the apprentice, teeth gritting together against the weight of Atsiya's power. The Elemental was on the opposite side of that wall throwing all she had at it to break it. No one but her could still be here when Atsiya broke through. They'd be killed. " _Go!_ "

"No! We can't just leave you here to fight alone!" Breezepaw protested.

"Yes, you can. This is my duty, Breezepaw. I was born for this. Get out of here!" Sunrise shouted, nearly buckling under the weight of a sheer ice wall crashing into her own shadow wall.

Stonepaw shoved his brother. "Now is not the time to play hero. Sunrise knows what she's doing. Come on, we gotta get to safety."

Through the stifling silence in Sunrise's head she heard the patter of their paws as they left the ice, and the screaming coming from the Isle. Her shadow wall shattered. Impossibly sharp, little pieces of ice rained down on her, slicing through her skin. She bit back a yelp and channeled her pain into a shadow cat. It launched itself at Atsiya, ragged snarl ripping free. Her shadow cats had gotten bigger, stronger, and faster. Atsiya tore its head from its shoulders, claws dripping darkness. Fear curled in Sunrise's belly.

"Hello again, little Shadowstalker," Atsiya purred. The frozen river groaned. "Though not so little anymore. You've grown."

Sunrise shrugged. "Does it matter if I've grown?"

"Of course. Now no one will be able to tell me I won because you were weak. They'll tell me I won because I was stronger," she spat.

"You won't be walking away from here alive, Atsiya," Sunrise snarled.

Atsiya laughed. "Oh no, Shadowstalker. I am afraid you are mistaken. _You_ will be the one dead by nightfall." She tapped the ice with a claw and the ground beneath Sunrise buckled, ice giving way, slipping into the churning water below. Her hindpaws dipped into the freezing water and went numb. Frantically Sunrise thrust out her shadows and they became the ground underneath her. At the same time she sent spears, hooked and brutal, shooting towards Atsiya only to have the Elemental throw up a jagged wall.

Within her body the fire thrummed. It could sense purpose. It could sense a danger. It wanted out. _Not yet, not yet, not yet_. It was too early for that reveal. That was to be kept for the very last moment, when either she or Atsiya was on the brink of death and a final push was needed. Only then could her awful secret be shown.

Safe from the roaring river and above the ice, Sunrise crushed Atisya's wall. Icicles flew at her the second the wall crumbled, glinting in the sunhigh glare. She only just managed to curl a shield of darkness around herself before they struck and still they bruised her. It felt like Atsiya was stronger. But that wasn't possible. Atsiya didn't have anything left to learn or show, she'd been in control of her power for seasons.

"You're looking tired already. Want to give up?" Atsiya leered.

Her answer came in a barbed shadow to the hindleg. Sunrise felt it sink into skin and grate passed bone. It filled her with glee. _This is what I was born to do_. A scraping sound filled the air and a cloud of frost burst from the frozen river, clouding her vision, plunging their part of the river into murk. It became bitingly cold inside the cloud, harsh winds whipping over Sunrise, little ice shards biting into her skin. She rolled a coat of shadow over her, plucking it from the darkness the cloud brought, and sent out a shadow cat in search of Atsiya. Closing her eyes she flicked her ears around, straining for the sound of claws against ice but all she could hear was the howling of the wind and the scraping of more frost lifting from the river. It reminded her of the battle against Wind when thick fog had filled the forest.

She'd beaten Wind then. Yet this time she had no blood power. There was no heart beating nearby, no thrum of warm blood. That part of her mind was impossibly silent. Crimson had stripped that advantage from her. If Atsiya won it would be Crimson's fault.

 _There_. The skitter of claws. Sunrise whipped around but Atsiya was quicker, frost-tipped claws _ripping_ across Sunrise's neck. Howling, Sunrise reared back and swiped at her face, hurling shadow at her, wrapping them around anything she could reach. She wanted to haul Astiya towards her and make the Elemental _scream_. But Atsiya was quicker and her little frost-storm sliced the shadows into pathetic ribbons. In Atsiya's storm her shadows were useless, but her claws and teeth still worked just fine. Hopefully Icepetal's teachings had stuck.

The next time Atsiya struck, teeth plunging into her haunches, Sunrise tore herself free and pounced at her, sinking claws into her shoulder and anchoring them together. "You won't get away from me this time," she snarled, curling her lip. Her teeth found the side of Atsiya's neck and tore into it, savaging the skin, splattering blood over her face. If she had her blood power...oh the things she would be able to do. Instead she settled for dragging the claws she had imbedded in Atsiya's shoulder down, carving jagged red lines through white fur. Burning pain erupted from her flank and she glanced down to find Atsiya's claws, tipped with vicious icicles, plunging deep.

It was agony. It was burning fire and chilling cold all at once. It was pain that lodged itself in her throat and choked her, pain that suffocated. It was cruel claws sinking further and further into her gut, chasing blood up her throat and out of her mouth. It was the torture of serrated edges sliding back out, catching flayed skin and brutalised muscle.

Her claws fell from Astiya's shoulders. Her jaw went slack. She could feel blood gushing from the puncture wounds left behind. The ground was cold and hard against her side when she fell, and more pain raced through her. Blood bubbled at her lips. Through the cloud she saw Atsiya standing over her, those cruel claws lifted once more.

So this was to be it. Beaten so quickly and efficiently. It went to show just how unprepared she was, how little time she'd had. No other Shadowstalkers had been able to kill Atsiya and they'd had seasons to prepare. Sunrise had only ever had mere moons. Why had anyone ever thought she'd be able to do what they hadn't? She coughed up more blood.

"You were born weak, Shadowstalker," Atsiya crooned by her ear. "I'm almost tempted to keep you alive long enough to watch me destroy these Clans you love so much, to watch your friends realise you failed them." She laughed, low and harsh, "maybe I'll start with Icepetal's kits, hm?"

 _No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No._

It was boiling inside her.

The fire wanted out.

The shadows were angry.

The wind waited.

A brutal anger pooled in her. Fuelled her. Threw kindling to that roaring fire and turned it into an inferno that couldn't be contained by anything. It wanted _out_. No longer would it be contained while an enemy flaunted itself so beautiful nearby. It asked permission, and Sunrise gave it. The fire rocketed out of her. It burst into Atsiya's face, molten hot. It burned away that disgusting cloud of cold. It took the power of the sun beating above it and _roared_.

Sunrise heaved herself to her paws, blinking in the sudden light of the sun, ignoring the pain in her gut. The fire - _her_ fire - wreathed itself around Atsiya, scorching the Elemental; the smell of singed fur heavy in the air. She threw up a wall of ice against it only to have it whisk around to the other side and start all over. A cruel tongue of flame.

"What is this!?" Atsiya spat, plunging the temperature around them to near freezing. Still the fire surged on. "How are you doing this!? This is Cyrith's power!"

"I took it from him," Sunrise said calmly. Her shadows shot across the ice turning it black, seeking out Atsiya and coiling around her legs. There was so much power. From the trees blew a wind so strong it would have bowled Atsiya over should the shadows have let her go. "I took Wind's too." It was calling to her, tempting her. _More, more, come further, come closer, there is more_. She fell deeper. The fire burned hotter. The shadows grew darker. The wind howled louder. "Maybe I'll take yours."

A chunk of the frozen river tore free and rose up, wrapping itself round Atsiya. Sunrise blasted more fire at her, made it hotter, watched it melt the thick shield into a puddle at the Elemental's paws. The two icicles that tore open skin along her spine didn't even make her flinch. She was beyond pain now, diving deeper and deeper into an endless pool of beautiful power. Faintly she could hear the wind shrieking above, could see that the sunhigh sky looked more like a bubbling thunderstorm.

"You're an abomination," Atsiya hissed, standing tall despite the singing fire that had melted bits of her skin from her bone. "You aren't a Shadowstalker."

"Aren't I?" Sunrise murmured. She could _see_ everything, _feel_ everything; the chill her shadows felt when they slithered along the ice, the unbridled joy the fire felt to be set free, the sense of pure freedom that came from the wind soaring high above her head. Still she plunged deeper. She couldn't stop now even if she wanted to.

There was an edge coming. She could see it faintly in her mind's eye, a place where the darkness was even darker, a place that called to her. If she went beyond it what would happen? If she let herself fall further would she be able to save everyone?

She shuddered. The fire turned from red to black. Atsiya screamed. It was so hot and so cold, a fire that burned and chilled. Sunrise felt a smile curl on her muzzle. This was what a true Shadowstalker could do. This was why none of the others had ever been able to defeat the Elementals, because they had never been able to let go long enough to fall passed the point of no return; a point where their powers became unstoppable. Impossibly black clouds, spurred on by that howling wind, slipped over the sun and plunged the Isle into darkness at sunhigh. Sunrise breathed in. Her eyelids fluttered. Her body felt strangely loose, airy, almost...shadow-like.

The dark world before her eyes flickered, turning golden then back to black. Someone was shouting her name. No, more than one cat was shouting her name. Who was it? What did they want? Couldn't they tell she was busy?

Atsiya scrambled to her paws and made another attempt at victory, icicle-tipped claws slashing cruel scars into Sunrise's face. shadows wrapped around her hindlegs, lifted her up, and threw her into the surface of the frozen river with a cracking sound that echoed. It was music to Sunrise's ears.

" _Sunrise! Sunrise, stop! Can you hear me!?_ "

Again the dark valley flickered away, becoming that honey-gold beach. There were five shapes, felines, facing her on the beach. Were they calling her name? Who were they? What did they want? They turned from her, two of them, and began shouting at a third, a pretty cat with beautiful golden fur and stunning green eyes. Why were they familiar? Why did this body remember them?

"Sunrise, please, it's Soran! You have to stop! Cut yourself off from it!"

"No!" The pretty cat, the she-cat...what was her name? "Don't stop her, Soran. She can do it! She can destroy the Elementals with this! Don't you see? This is what we've been waiting for!"

"What do you mean this is what we've been waiting for? For Sunrise to nearly die? For her to lose herself to the darkness that waits inside all of us? We have to stop her, Sheara!"

"Soran is right."

Sheara. Soran. The others….Leon, Reyn, Murai. Shadowstalkers from long ago. Why was she in their afterlife? Had she died? Had she failed? No, no that wasn't possible, she was too strong to fail. All she had to do was reach that edge, reach it and plunge passed it. Then everything would be okay. Then everyone would be safe. Icepetal's kits would be alright. Everyone...everyone.

" _No_!" Sheara shouted. "I will not let all my hard work go to waste. All I've done, all the pushing and guiding, it's led to this. Don't you see? We have to go beyond that point, way beyond that point, to kill them. We can't do it with our normal powers!"

Leon curled his lip. "What do you mean 'after all you've done'?"

"You made Sunrise kill Hope," Soran growled. "You forced her into using that blood power in the hopes that it would trigger this. Did you make her absorb those Elemental powers too? She's not some toy for you to play around with, Sheara! She's a cat! Like us!"

"She's whatever I want her to be. This is the last chance we'll ever get to destroy the Elementals. Did you really think I was going to leave it in the paws of a weak apprentice!?" Sheara laughed, "don't be ridiculous. She will go beyond that edge. She will fall further into the darkness and she will do what none of us could."

Soran roared, "and she will take the valley with her! She will kill all of her friends, all of her family, and she will destroy herself. Not kill, destroy. Can't you see? She's _becoming_ shadow. There will be nothing left of her!"

"Then so be it," Sheara said dismissively and the world flickered back to the valley, bathed in beautiful darkness.

Atsiya trembled at her paws, pitiful, beaten, and bloody. "Bow," Sunrise demanded in a voice that was not quite her own, one that rasped and hissed. "Bow to the Shadowstalker that beat you."

"Never!" Atsiya screeched, defiant even to the end.

"That was the wrong answer." Who was she? She was a cat wasn't she? An apprentice? What was her name...Sunrise? Maybe. Perhaps. Nothing was quite right. Everything was jumbled. Her body felt so far away, her mind even further. Everything was focused on that point, that edge, getting closer and closer.

Spitting blood from her mouth Atsiya said, "why would I ever bow to a weakling like you? You look like you're about to blow away with the wind."

Fire flashed in Sunrise's eyes. The wind shrieked louder and stirred the black clouds in circles, bringing them swirling down to the ground in a tornado of darkness. Red hot flames streaked the black, blue ones too. It paused just above her head, a horrifying thing that howled and screamed, and spilled over her, burning the ground, stirring the frost on the ice. The edge was so close. It was within reach. Just a little further. She was a creature of death and darkness and blood, and it was time the whole world knew that.

Soran's voice was screeching at her again. " _Please, please, stop, Sunrise! Once you go beyond that point there is no going back. You're walking the edge now, and on one side there is light and good and wonder, and on the other there is darkness and death and evil. Stop, Sunrise. Come back to us_."

There was no going back. She touched that edge and the world went silent. She walked that knife's edge, that tiny bit of rock. She paused. Then she stepped over and plummeted.

Atsiya's eyes went white with fear before the fire and shadow rolled over her in a writhing mess. Her screams echoed, awful things filled with complete terror and pain. Sunrise, or what had once been Sunrise, grinned. Her body was dissipating, tail turning to shadow. She was far beyond that edge now. The power surging through her was unlike anything she had ever felt. It was going to consume her and then the valley and then come back for her soul when it was done; and Sunrise was going to let it. Why wouldn't she when its siren call was so strong?

Then jaws wrapped around her throat and sharp teeth punctured the skin. Her plummet came to an abrupt stop. The teeth sunk deeper. She choked and wriggled and writhed, gasping in their grip. But whoever it was held tight. Her hold on her power weakened. The sun slipped through the clouds. Her head spun and her lungs screamed. They ripped their teeth free from her throat and let her drop to the ice, blood spilling from the mess left behind. It pooled out onto the ice. She wheezed, red bubbling from her throat.

Amory leaned down and whispered in her ear. "No one takes advantage of me."

Sunrise took a final, shuddering breath, and closed her eyes.


	38. Chapter Thirty-Eight: Sacrifice

**Chapter Thirty-Eight: Sacrifice**

"Do you think he'll forgive us?" Willowclaw asked as they walked.

"Who?" Icepetal replied, still looking over her shoulder at her kits. Heathersky was looking after them for a little while; Rainpatch's mate was enamored by the tiny bundles of fluff, especially the one named after her late mate. She had the white tom-kit caught up in her tail, Rainkit squealing in glee. A soft smile spread over Icepetal's muzzle. She loved her kits so much, more than she ever imagined she would. It certainly helped that those little lives she had carried had helped bring her and Willowclaw together again; that, and Cyrith. "Eaglestrike?"

He nodded. "We weren't there for him when he needed us the most. We failed him as friends."

"I don't know, Willowclaw. We didn't even know he was struggling. _Shiverlight_ didn't even know something was wrong," she said.

"We've known him longer than she has. I just...he let Crimson take him. He was so weak that he couldn't even fight back and I can't help but think that it's my fault," he murmured sadly.

Icepetal frowned and nipped at Willowclaw's ear. "It's not just your fault. It's mine, Tornheart's, Arrows, and Shiverlight's fault. It's a little his fault too. He never came to us, never spoke to us. We aren't mind readers."

"When he really needed me all I was doing was hating him for driving us apart. I would have killed him and been happy about it, you know?"

"No, you wouldn't have. Besides what he did then I'm still mad at him about," Icepetal grumbled. "He had no right to say those things even if you should have said them long before he did."

"I'm still sorry about that," Willowclaw said quietly.

Icepetal purred, "I know, and I've forgiven you. We both did awful things, said _terrible_ things. I hope you know I'm sorry too?"

"I do."

"Good."

The middle of the Isle was missing the usual chaos they had all become used to; frantic mentors training their apprentices, young warriors learning the ins and outs of war from the seniors, Tornheart drawing out the best of Sunrise's power. It was quiet today. A rest was needed, a day to pretend nothing was wrong and they were all just normal warriors living normal lives. It was hard for Icepetal to look out over the frozen river towards SnowClan and not want to head back to her old home. But it was no longer her home, hadn't been for moons. Her home was with Willowclaw, with the Chosen. Wherever they were she would be too, regardless of what happened when Crimson struck.

Willowclaw was babbling on about his kits again. His eyes had gained that familiar sparkle they always had when talking about them. He could, and would, gush about them from dawn till dusk if anyone let him. They were his pride and joy. She couldn't imagine how pleased he was to have them, how happy Crimson's champion was to have brought something good into the world. Long ago he had done terrible things under her orders. But that was when he had known nothing else but blood and death. Looking at him practically glowing with happiness, Icepetal found that she couldn't see any trace that he had once been Crimson's greatest soldier.

Pebbles shifted under their paws, cold and coated in frost. On the frozen river played the apprentices. It brought back memories of her apprenticehood. There had been some cats back then that hadn't held her blood against her. Being rogue hadn't meant anything to them. They had played like that, laughing and shouting under a warm sun. Sunrise looked happy and that was all Icepetal had ever wanted for her: to be happy. She deserved to be a normal apprentice once in awhile.

"Come to enjoy the peace?" Shiverlight called in greeting.

"While it lasts," Willowclaw grinned. Tayce and Jay leaped at him, loud voices demanding stories. He let them clamber all over him till they settled on his shoulders before asking what story they wanted to hear, and as always they wanted to know about the great battle with Crimson as they called it. Shiverlight watched them fondly.

Icepetal settled next to her. "Did you ever imagine any of this when you first met us?"

"The kits are a surprise," she snorted. "Honestly I never thought I'd see any of you again after the city battle. I certainly hadn't planned on travelling to the valley."

"What made you do it?" Icepetal asked.

"For the first time I had a litter that had a father who wasn't dead, about to die or bad news. I wanted them to have a father - and I missed Eaglestrike," Shiverlight admitted.

Icepetal laughed. "He certainly left an impression on you."

"He was the first Clan cat I'd met in a while that didn't make me want to rip their throat out," she replied. "I'm glad meeting him ended up with me here. As much as my old Clans ruined me, they were still Clans filled to the brim with loyalty and family. I've missed that." There was a sadness in her eyes, one that grew when her eyes fell on Alvar. The tom-kit looked the most like Eaglestrike.

"We'll get him back, Shiverlight. I promise."

She sighed. "I'm not an idiot, Icepetal. War comes with sacrifices. If I have to give him up to save the lives of everyone here...then I am more than willing to do that, even if it kills me. Maybe I was never supposed to have a happy family."

"Don't be ridiculous," Icepetal snapped. "Even without Eaglestrike you will always be family to us."

"You know, when I first saw you all together I thought you were just another bunch of weird Clan cats that though they could change the world," Shiverlight said.

"What do you think now?"

Shiverlight huffed out a breath and smiled. "I've _watched_ you change the world. I might not have been with you but I was watching when the moon finally turned white again. I suppose not every group of heroic Clan cats is just all talk."

"You're part of that weird bunch of Clan cats now," Icepetal jested.

"Isn't there an initiation or something?"

"The initiation is spending more than few heartbeats in Willowclaw's presence without boxing him over the head."

" _Hey_! I heard that!"

"You were supposed to."

If they lived in another world, or were living a different life, perhaps the peace would have continued to stretch on throughout the day. They would have talked and played with the kits till the sun went down, then dragged the apprentices off the ice for some much needed sleep. But they didn't leave in another world and they weren't living another life. So, instead of prolonged peace, Eaglestrike appeared through the trees flanked by the Elementals and two wolves. He opened his mouth and screeched Sunrise's name. Screaming echoed it. War erupted.

Icepetal shot to her paws and into the trees on the Isle. Her kits, her kits, where were her kits? Where they safe? She could hear and scent the other wolves invading the Isle. Was Heathersky rushing them into the roughly built nursery? That wouldn't keep the wolves out. That wouldn't keep anyone out. She'd left Shiverlight behind struggling to get her own kits to safety.

"Willowclaw!" she shouted. He flicked an ear, a sign that he was listening from where he raced along beside her. "Go back and help Shiverlight!"

He looked at her in shock. "But our kits!?"

"I'll look after them!" She knew he wanted to argue, could see it in his eyes, but instead he nodded fearfully and turned around. The trust between them had grown back twice as strong, and Willowclaw knew she wouldn't let anyone touch their kits and get away alive.

Breaking through the undergrowth surrounding the middle of the Isle, Icepetal ran headlong into the flank of a silver wolf. He swung his big head around, jaws dripping blood, eyes filled with excitement. A throaty chuckle rumbled free and he lapped at the blood staining his muzzle. When he spoke his words were thick and nearly indistinguishable. "Sit still, little kitty, and I might make it hurt less."

Icepetal arched her back and snapped, "no."

A cruel smile bared awfully sharp teeth. "Suit yourself," he laughed, "I like dinner and a show." He brought those sharp teeth together once more, whiskers away from where Icepetal's had had been, in a loud snap. At the same time he brought a huge paw buffeting down on her back sending her sprawling.

She didn't give him time to snap at her again, lurching back to her paws and swiping at his long muzzle. Silver fur turned red. He yelped and jerked his head back, rubbing at the claw marks. His murky grey eyes narrowed. "So it's a fight you want?" he growled. "Then it's a fight you're going to get." His next strike was quicker and harder than the last, paw catching her on the chin. Stars flashed across her vision, and her head rang. Blindly she reared back and lashed out, claws glancing through thin fur. "Do make this a little harder, okay?"

The stars faded from her eyes and Icepetal pulled her face into an ugly snarl. He had yet to spill any blood whilst his was stained on her claws. She'd show him what happened to wolves that stumbled into Clan territory. _Think of it like fighting a fox_. She slipped under his head when he lunged forwards, throwing herself onto her belly under him and sinking claws into his stomach. _A really big, hulking fox_. He shuddered above her, red splashing onto her face. Scurrying back out from underneath him she whirled around to meet him head on, tiny cat against monstrous wolf. _Actually, maybe think of it like fighting Padshiy_. All that did was bring back memories of searing pain and days spent drifting far from her body. _Maybe not_.

She wasn't quite quick enough the next time he pounced. Teeth dug into the side of her head, grip loose but still tight enough to draw blood. Screeching she wriggled and writhed, scouring angry lines down his face. His grip tightened. Padshiy flashed before her eyes. _Not again. Not now. Not ever_. Regardless of the pain she knew would come, Icepetal tore herself free from his mouth. His teeth left a trail of fire across her head, one that dripped red into her eyes. "I don't have time for this!" she yowled and threw herself at him. Her teeth met his throat and savaged it. Before she could bite all the way through and kill him, he tossed his head back, dislodging her and narrowly saving his own life. Gasping and spluttering he gave the blood-spattered warrior one last glance before scurrying into the forest, tail between his legs.

Icepetal spat blood from her mouth. "You won't be eating anyone today," she muttered, then turned on her heel in search of her kits. War surrounded on her all sides, hauntingly similar to the battle in the city. Except this time towering wolves leered down at them. She just hoped no one died. There was no one she held a grudge against anymore, not even Aspenthorn. They'd all need each other when it came time to rebuild the Clans. Out of the corner of her eye she could see Willowclaw and Singe wrestling with a dark wolf. Part of her wanted to run to him, to help him, to be by his side. But she'd promised him she'd look after the kits.

She ducked and weaved around the chaos, nipping and scratching at the wolves she passed. The kits, where were the kits? The den was only a few foxleaps away when Visha, the last of Amory's Nobles that had stayed - the few left had abandoned the Clans in a confused mess after Amory had left them - crashed into the ground at her paws followed quickly by a grinning she-wolf. Her fur was pitch black and riddled with scars, her eyes a ferocious shade of yellow, and her grin so cruel it could have matched Crimson's. She had Visha's leg in her mouth blood spilling from it. The little Noble was shrieking.

Ducking into a crouch, Icepetal leapt for the wolf's back, making it just and scrabbling the rest of the way on making sure her claws were out. The wolf let go of Visha with an offended huff, head twisting round to pin Icepetal with a dirty glare. "I was _busy_ ," the she-wolf whined, reaching out a forepaw to press against Visha's haunches. He flinched, blue eyes stretching wide.

"I do apologise," Icepetal sneered and dug her claws in a little deeper. She felt her quiver. Her smile grew.

"You smell like those kittens I ordered Kisari to take," the she-wolf said.

Icepetal felt her blood chill. A nauseating fear settled in her stomach. _No_. "What kits? What did you do with the cat guarding them!?"

The wolf laughed. "Dragged her off too. Though I suppose Jhani just dropped the little cat off and raced back into the carnage. Excitable wolf that one."

" _Where are they?_ " Icepetal caterwauled, dragging her claws up to the wolf's neck. Blood beaded in the slices left behind. " _Tell me_!"

"I'm going to, no need to get so angry," she replied. "Through the trees back there, probably on the ice. We're saving them for later."

Icepetal was launching herself off the wolf's back before she was even finished talking. She didn't take into account that she was leaving Visha to fend for himself. All she could think about were her kits out on the ice with a bloodthirsty wolf. Had they already killed Heathersky? Had they already killed the kits!? Panic was slipping into her, tightening across her lungs. Each breath was practically a wheeze. She slipped in a thin puddle of blood, knees catching the rough ground, skin flaying. The pain wasn't important. _Get the kits, get the kits, the kits, the kits, the kits._ So absorbed in her panic she didn't see Willowclaw until she tumbled into him. The two rolled, a mess of limbs and surprised noises. Landing on her back Icepetal stared at the canopy in a daze. How had it come to this? She'd let her kits down. She was supposed to protect them.

Faintly she could hear Willowclaw talking. She used his voice to drag herself back to the present. His fur was dusted in blood. "Are you okay? Icepetal? Look at me." Whatever he saw in her eyes frightened him. "What's wrong? Why are you looking at me like that!?"

In a heartbeat she was back on her paws. "The kits," she said, voice hoarse. "They took the kits." Behind them came a familiar shout of pain: Shiverlight's. "Go help her, I'll find the kits."

"No!"

She didn't stick around to convince him, thrusting her way through the dense forest, panic fuelled adrenaline pouring into her veins. If her kits were dead...the thought was maddening. They couldn't die. They had barely begun get to live. They'd survived the Elementals, they could survive this. Not for the first time she wished Cyrith was still around. Both he and Willowclaw seemed to want the world for her and right now she needed the both of them.

The further she got from the middle of the Isle the quieter it got. Till she saw the forest thinning and picked up hissing and snarling. Was Heathersky still alive? Panting, she burst out of the forest and onto the stony shore. Her breath caught in her throat. Her kits were on the ice, mewling and crying, little bodies shaking. Crouch protectively in front of them was Heathersky, a queen protecting kits. Blood dribbled from her mouth and her body was trembling. Taunting and provoking her was Kisari no doubt; effortlessly lanky, a shade of gray precariously close to black. Lying on the ice nearby beaten and bloodied, Aspenthorn was motionless.

Above them the sky was pitching in colour, sunhigh blue turning to moonhigh black. _Sunrise_. Whatever the apprentice was doing, Icepetal hoped it would bring this battle to a very quick finish. She skidded onto the ice, lip curled, ears pinned flat. "Get _away_ from them," she snarled.

Something like recognition lit up in Kisari's ice-blue eyes. "You must be the mother," she said, "so nice to meet you. Your friends here were doing a wonderful job of looking after your kittens." Her light smile dropped into a dark one, "any later and you'd be stumbling upon quite a few bodies."

Icepetal didn't let the wolf talk anymore. She rammed into her side, teeth and claws ripping into skin, and shoved her over. They slammed down onto the ice, Icepetal biting at her shoulder blade. Kisari's claws ripped ribbons from her side. She ignored the pain, wriggling higher up Kisari's body till she reached her neck. Kisari rolled, pinning Icepetal against the ice. Spots fluttered across her eyes as Kisari pressed harder against her throat. _I won't die here, not today_. Twisted, she bit down on Kisari's leg till she felt bone splinter. A howl echoed across the ice, Kisari stumbling off Icepetal. She held her foreleg against her chest.

"We weren't told to expect a fight," she grumbled like a petulant kit.

"Bit stupid of you to believe that," Icepetal spat.

She took her eyes off Kisari to check her kits. A mistake she could not take back. While she worried over them from a distance, eyes searching for wounds, Kisari lunged forwards, claws skittering on the ice. Icepetal had no time to move or even prepare herself. Sharp teeth plunged into either side of her spine. A cry of pain burst free accompanied by a splatter of blood. Kisari hummed a pleased noise around her mouthful, and lifted Icepetal off the ice, teeth sinking just a little deeper. A pained whine slithered into the air.

Heathersky's cry of, "Icepetal!", went unnoticed. The hunter was too focused on its prey, and its prey was struggling not to cough up anymore blood. Again Padshiy flickered before her eyes, brutish and terrifying, cold eyes staring her down. She could practically feel his hot breath rolling over her, death whiskers away.

"Oh, I am not quite done with you yet, little cat," Kisari growled and threw Icepetal.

She skidded over the ice, stopping only when she reached Heathersky. Beneath her the ice was turning red, stained by the blood leaking from the puncture wounds. A gentle paw came to rest on her shoulder. "Icepetal," Heathersky said quietly, "is it bad?" There was a waver in her voice; fear of what would happen should Icepetal die. Groaning, Icepetal shook her head. A lie. It felt like her entire body was breaking apart. Her legs trembled as she climbed unsteadily to them, vision wobbling. For her kits so would lay down her life.

"If...if I don't make it," she said to Heathersky, "look after them."

"Please don't say that," Heathersky whispered.

" _Promise me_."

Heathersky, trembling like a leaf but still standing strong in front of the kits, nodded. "I promise."

Satisfied, Icepetal turned back to the wolf. She was watching the exchange curiously, head tilted, faint smile playing at her muzzle. "You know, I almost feel bad about killing you," Kisari commented. "Almost."

"Come on then." A little further up the shore Willowclaw spilled out onto the pebbles another wolf - white-furred and bulky - following after him. "Kill me." All she had to do was buy some time for Heathersky to get the kits away. Let Kisari play with her for a bit. She could do that. For her kits she would do that. Everyone would understand the sacrifice. A mother's life for that of her kits. Not exactly the way she'd imagined herself dying but it was certainly noble.

Kisari moved and Icepetal closed her eyes. Would it hurt? Nearly dying to Padshiy had been excruciating. Kisari would make it hurt twice as bad; she seemed like that kind of creature. She sucked in a deep breath expecting those teeth to meet her flesh at any moment.

But the moment never came.

There was a wet sound. Warm blood sprayed over her face. Someone choked out a gasp of pain.

But it wasn't Icepetal.

She flung open her eyes to meet Aspenthorn's, whiskers away, beginning to glaze. His face was pulled tight, grimacing against the pain. Kisari's teeth were buried impossibly deep in his neck. A noise of disgust emanated from the wolf's throat and she dropped him with a huff. His blood lapped at Icepetal's paws. Her heart jumped into her throat.

"No. No, _no_. Aspenthorn!" she cried.

Blood gurgled up from his throat as he tried to speak around it. "You...you are twice the warrior I could ever be," he said weakly, bloodstained smile twitching at the corners of his muzzle.

"Don't. No. _Stop_ , you're not allowed to do this. You're supposed to hate me!"

He shook his head. "I was wrong." A watery breath shuddered free. His body went limp. His eyes rolled.

"My mistake," Kisari interrupted. "Shall we try that again?"

Aspenthorn had just given up his life to save her. The warrior that had spent his entire life supposedly hating her. A grief tainted by anger boiled beneath her skin. She would not let his death be for nothing.

Kisari had no idea what hit her. She smacked into the ice, head rebounding off it with a sickening clack. Dazed, skull split, she could only stare up at Iceptal. Her claws glinted in the dull light, coated in the blood of enemies and lost Clanmates. Something dark and unforgiving flickered in her cold eyes. "There's an old law," Icepetal said slowly, "that says a warrior does not need to kill to win battles."

"Oh?" Kisari sounded hopeful.

Icepetal gave her a twisted grin. "Shame it's an old law." She flicked her paw and spilt the wolf's blood all over the ice.

Silence. Peaceful almost. Only the sound of her wrecked breathing and the careful dripping of blood on ice. They were safe. Her kits were okay. Heathersky was okay. Her eyes fell to Aspenthorn. A warrior true to the name.

"How entertaining." Her heart missed a beat. "I never imagined a bunch of cats could put up this much of a fight." The she-wolf from before lurked on the shoreline, the kits sitting in front of her. Heathersky was on the ground, eyes closed, flanks working weakly. Icepetal took a hurried step forward only to be stopped by a growl. "I'd stay right there if I were you. Take a look to your right."

Willowclaw. Pinned to the stones. Forced to look at his kits. Meaty paw with thick claws perched dangerously close to his throat.

"We're going to have a little fun," the she-wolf grinned. "Or, I'm going to have some fun. You're going to hate every minute of it."

"This isn't a game," Icepetal snapped.

She snorted. "It is to me. Did you actually think I was taking any of this seriously? It's a joke really. Your little group of cats doesn't stand a chance against my pack."

"I beg to differ," Icepetal seethed, flicking her tail across Kisari's lifeless body.

"Losses are to be expected," the she-wolf said. "Jhani, don't let that cat go."

The wolf pinning Willowclaw down, Jhani, nodded. "Yes, Dra'hira."

"Fantastic. Let's start. You have a decision to make, little kitty," Dra'hira drawled. "One that I would not make lightly. Your mate, or your kittens. You can only save one. Start thinking."

The world dropped out from beneath Icepetal's paws. How could she make that decision? How could she kill one of them? She couldn't lose Willowclaw and she couldn't lose her kits either. "No. Don't do this," she pleaded. "Please don't do this."

"Begging doesn't really do much for me," Dra'hira yawned.

"Save the kits, Icepetal! Save the kits!" Willowclaw shouted, wriggling in Jhani's grip.

She couldn't do it. She couldn't doom one of them. How would she live with herself? There was already so much death on her paws. Anymore and she'd vanish under it all.

"Perhaps," Dra'hira mused, leaning down, "you need a little _motivation_."

Icepetal was already slipping across the ice, desperate to reach her kits before the awful creature standing over them could hurt them. But she could only watch as the wolf picked quiet Littlekit up in her jaws and slam them shut around the tiny kit's neck. It snapped with a sound that could hardly be heard, but one that echoed through Icepetal's head on repeat.

Willowclaw's heartbroken scream only made it worse.

On the other side of the Isle a monstrosity of darkness and fire burst from the sky. Inside Icepetal's heart something cracked. The same _thing_ she'd felt in her fight against Frozengaze, the pooling of power, the need to kill, it came rushing right back over her. Back then it had been brought on by the need to survive. This time it had been brought on by the need to destroy what had taken away part of her family.

Padshiy's striped form curled around her, huge and terrifying, giant head twice the size of her own body. Was this his power? He released a throaty growl that grew into a roar which shook the very ground beneath their paws. Gently he nudged his vaguely translucent head against hers, her body absorbing his. " _For you_."

She felt like she could move mountains. Like she could walk into the sea and never drown. It was an immense blast of power. Somehow she knew she would only get to taste it once. _Once is more than enough._

Dra'hira had stumbled away from the kits, mouth slack. When she realised Icepetal was coming for her she tried to escape. A forepaw slipped on an uneven stone. She stumbled. Then Icepetal was there, raw power cascading from her, eyes a blue that lit up the sunhigh night they'd fallen into.

She fought clumsily, fear poisoning her. Her swipes were weak and glancing. Her teeth were blunt and useless. A great monster like her quivered at the cat standing over her, bloodstained, injured, practically standing side-by-side with death, a creature even more terrifying than the wolf queen moving with her. It tilted its great, striped head and in its eyes she watched her death, saw the cat slit her open from throat to tail.

"Please," she whimpered when she felt the first press of claws against her throat. " _Please_."

"Begging doesn't really do much for me," Icepetal purred, cold and cruel. She didn't stop till Dra'hira was cut open and spilling everywhere. Only then did her mind return to her, mildly disgusted at the gore oozing over her paws.

 _Willowclaw_.

Jerking her head towards him she saw Jhani whiskers away from ripping into his throat. She stumbled on the blood soaked stones. He wasn't even scared when he looked at her. Instead he smiled, soft and loving, accepting of the fate he'd been delivered.

" _No_!" The shout came from the trees, from the brown body hurtling down the shore, clattering across the stones. It collided with Jhani, knocking the wolf onto the ice. A tremor ran across the frozen river. The bit Jhani landed on cracked and shattered, plunging the white wolf into angry water. He disappeared with a muffled howl.

The stranger picked themself up from where they'd landed and looked Icepetal in the eye.

She smiled so wide she felt her cheeks ache.

"Cyrith."


	39. Chapter Thirty-Nine: The Final Defeat

**Chapter Thirty-Nine: The Final Defeat**

Tornheart knew the moment Crimson arrived. Her shield, the one that covered the Isle entirely, wavered once, twice, and then went out. No one other than another wielder could to that. But there was no time to warn anyone. From every side emerged the wolves, even bigger and scarier in person. They had decided to warn the Clans that wolves would be coming. Still, nothing could have prepared them for the ferocity, the hatred, the bloodlust. They were built to kill, _starving_ to kill. Perhaps they already saw the valley as their home and the Clans as invaders. Despite their size they didn't have the edge the Clans had, they weren't fighting for their lives, only for a bit of land.

Beside her Arrow raked his claws down the wolf's muzzle. She reared back with a loud yelp, swiping blindly. Tornheart grabbed the paw in her mouth and bit down till bone splintered with a crunch. Just beyond that wolf was Earth, tormenting the apprentices with his barbed vines. _Spineless coward, going after the weaker cats_. She hissed at the wolf, darting forward to nip at its sides. Arrow followed, sweeping underneath the wolf, leaving behind a trail of red. Letting a little of her power slip free she tripped the wolf and left her for Arrow to finish off.

She wasn't used to fighting so much without using the magic dwelling deep in her. But she was going to need it to heal the wounds and bring the dying back from the brink. She'd made the mistake of not leaving enough back in the city. Rainpatch might have been saved. It was something she tried not to dwell on.

"Earth!" Tornheart yowled, catching the bulky Elemental's attention. He turned away from his lazy tormenting and fixed her under a burning stare. "Leave them alone."

He frowned. "I've been ordered to kill them."

"What you are doing isn't killing. It's torturing," she spat. A flicker of green travelled from her muzzle to her tail. For this fight she might need to use it. Earth was no ordinary enemy. He was far more powerful.

"I might as well enjoy myself a little," he said.

"Amuse yourself with me then." Earth's vines slithered to a halt. The apprentices scurried backwards, tumbling over themselves in their haste to get away. "Go and hide," she told them, "don't come out until you know it's safe." Breezepaw nodded and began herding the others into the forest.

Earth watched them go with a sullen expression. "The last time we met all you did was flash some pretty lights. It wasn't particularly exciting," he rumbled.

"You dropped me into a hole. There wasn't much else to do." Beneath her paws the ground was shifting and shaking in the same way it had done that night in the basin. Tornheart was ready for it this time, a patch of blazing green keeping her afloat when the grass and dirt vanished into a yawning hole. "Can't use the same trick twice."

"It was worth a try," he muttered. "Shall we?" The trees shivered, roots erupting from the dirt.

Only slightly regretting the decision to confront him in the forest, Tornheart nodded, feeling Arrow brush up against her. They could do this, together. All they had to do was incapacitate him. Sunrise could finish him off later. A shockwave shattered through the air, one that could only be felt by a wielder. Whatever the apprentice was doing it was powerful, filling the air with a static buzz. Tornheart could practically taste the raw energy.

It seemed that Earth too could sense it. His fur bristled, eyes widened. He turned his head towards the river, hidden by the trees. Strangely his face gained a conflicted expression. It looked like he was about to run. Then the moment was gone and he was turning back to Tornheart, face drawn tight, anger glinting in his eyes. The ground rumbled once more, and nearby a tree ripped free, thundering to the ground.

Arrow streaked towards him, leaping over his back and landing on the other side, whirling on his paws and lashing out. When Earth turned to meet him, ground rolling, Tornheart swept in. She wrapped her magic around his muzzle and yanked him down. His head rebounded off the dirt, a growl ripping free as he stumbled back to his paws. Arrow reared up on his hindlegs ready to smash down onto Earth's back. Before he could Earth's aggravating vines whipped their way around his ankles and dragged him away into the undergrowth.

The light dimmed entirely, sunhigh turning to midnight in a flash. Plunged into sudden darkness Tornheart felt a lick of fear. She felt like she was blind. Then the darkness lightened a little, enough so that she could see Earth's silhouetted. She squinted. It seemed lighter on the other side of the Isle.

"She is so much stronger than the last one," Earth whispered. "To have killed two of us is incredible."

"Will she have to kill you too?" Tornheart asked.

He twitched an ear and a flower bloomed to life right by his forepaw. "There is no way we can both live at the same time. We will always be driven together and forced to destroy each other. It's just the way we were created."

"Do you want to die?"

"I don't know if I want to die," Earth answered hesitantly. "But I don't think I want to live like this anymore."

Tornheart slowly picked her way towards him over the uneven ground. "You don't have to," she said.

"Don't I? This is all I have known for so long. Sometimes I wonder if I will ever be able to do anything other than destroy." She watched a sad smile grow. "This wasn't how I imagined my life would play out when I was young."

She sat down next to him and looked at the little flower he'd made. "You could always start over. Leave this all behind."

"But Ice…"

"Might not survive Sunrise." She waved a paw at the darkness. "You said so yourself. She's stronger than the others. What is keeping you attached to her?"

Earth glanced at her. He didn't look seasons upon seasons old. He looked like a scared apprentice. "She accepted me when no one else would."

"Did she accept you for you, or for your power?" Tornheart questioned gently.

He flinched, eyes growing wide, dismay twisting at his face. Tornheart could practically hear his heart breaking. "No, no she accepted me for me. Didn't she?" he whispered. "She said she could give me a home. She said she'd love me."

"Has she loved you?"

Earth's pelt bristled. "The things she made me do, they were all for a lie!" he cried. "I never wanted to kill but she made me. I did it all for her. Do you know what she would always make me do?" His voice was hard, a growl almost. "I was the one to always kill the kittens. 'Do it for me' she'd say, and I did. Every time." He turned then and made to head through the trees, towards the sound of ice scraping against ice. The look on his face was one of pure anger.

She stepped in front of him. "Is killing her going to make you feel better?" she asked.

"Of course!" he snapped, teeth bared. "I loved her for seasons and for seasons I thought she loved me back. You must think I'm stupid to have not realised it by now."

Tornheart shook her head, "I think you had already realised it. You were just too frightened to do anything about it."

"Your friend. The white one with the kittens, Icepetal. As soon as Wind told us she was pregnant I knew I'd have to kill those kittens. Whether it meant killing them while they were still inside their mother or when they were alive and breathing, I knew I'd be the one to do it." Earth looked pained, "do you know what it feels like to strip the life away from something so new and so fragile? To do it over and over again while pretending not to care? I can't sleep at night without seeing them."

"Why didn't you kill Icepetal?" She watched him closely, saw the heavy weight bearing down on his broad shoulders. It was strange to think of the Elementals as anything other than monsters, but they'd been normal once. Cyrith had given up his power for the chance of a normal life. He'd saved Icepetal's life. He'd walked into the center of their camp with his supposed enemy surrounding him and done nothing but stand and wait. Yet mere moons before that he'd killed without a second thought. Strange.

He sighed and the leaves above them rustled. "I knew if I killed another kitten I'd vanish under the weight of what I'd done. I'm not Ice. I can't kill and forget about it. Every life I've cut short I remember. There are so many, and they won't ever leave me alone. Just dying to get rid of them doesn't seem fair, I deserve to be haunted for the things I've done."

"You can make it right," Tornheart said. "You can choose not to kill. Sunrise will destroy Ice. You won't have to follow her orders anymore."

"Is that all I can do?" he said miserably.

"Change the valley. Undo the things she made you do, the things the others did. Give us our home back," she explained. "Then, let Sunrise take your power. You can leave, start new somewhere far from here, just like Cyrith did."

Earth perked up, eyes shining. "Cyrith's not dead?"

"No, he left the mountains alive. Is that what you want to do?"

"Please," he said. "Please take this awful power away. Set me free."

Tornheart opened her mouth to reply when the sky erupted into fire and shadow. The clouds were streaked through with red, fire climbing high. A stifling wave of power rolled over the Isle, flooding her senses with the pure potency of it. Beside her Earth shuddered. Something was awfully wrong. The sky grew brighter as the flames spread further, wrapping round that column of shadow hurtling towards the ground. She turned and ran, leaving Earth behind without a second thought. What he decided to do now was his decision. He could be dealt with.

She burst from the forest just in time to see Sunrise, embraced in darkness, fading. Her tail was shadow, drifting with the wind. A burnt husk was all that was left of Ice. She waited for Sunrise to stop, for the darkness to disappear. But she didn't. She only faded further. Sitara's warning rung loud and clear in her head once more, and the realisation struck. This was Sunrise's temptation happening at the worst possible moment, when everything and everyone was at stake. She was sucking the light from the frozen river and replacing it with a darkness that was so black it looked touchable

The shadow devoured more of her, greedy claws sinking into her haunches. Tornheart could only watch. What could she do? Her power wasn't strong enough to rival Sunrise's. If she couldn't pull herself back, if she couldn't stop whatever she was doing...Tornheart didn't know what would happen. Nothing good. Visions of destruction and chaos and death spiralled before her eyes.

A flicker of gold caught the corner of her eye; Amory slipping onto the ice, face pulled into a snarl and covered in dried blood. Confused, Tornheart began to make her way down the shore, watching his every move. She didn't realise what he was doing until it was too late, until he'd jumped into the blackness towards the middle where Sunrise dwelled, until his teeth met her throat and blood - impossibly red - sprayed everywhere, until a shout that wasn't hers or his echoed across the ice.

Tornheart's body moved on instinct.

Something stopped her the moment her paw touched the ice.

 _Someone_ stopped her. Long black pelt, meticulously clean, a narrow face, a cold stare, anger that burned deep in blood red eyes. Crimson, in her own body, stepped onto the river and it quaked. The darkness dissipated the moment Sunrise's body thudded to the ice. Brave sunlight broke through the thinning clouds. Yet all Tornheart could focus on was this ghost, this phantom, striding towards her daughter looking every inch the tyrant she had been. The breath caught in her throat, a mix of fear and apprehension. If she had her body back what would stop her this time? Not the Chosen surely.

Amory grinned at Crimson, blood dripping from his teeth. It lapped at his paws too, gushing from the ravaged wound in Sunrise's neck. She had yet to move. That drove Tornheart onto the ice, towards the golden tom responsible for it. "Do you see me now, Crimson?" Amory shouted.

"I see you covered in my daughter's blood, traitor," Crimson spat back. Her form seemed to flicker for a moment, edges blurring. "I gave you what you wanted. The wolves, dealt with. The Clans, dealt with. Your freedom, free of charge. Is this how you repay my kindness!?"

" _Kindness_?" Amory laughed. "You used me for your own gain and then threw me aside like I was nothing. You were going to let the wolves kill me. That is not kindness."

Crimson gives him a cruel grin, one Tornheart had seen so many times. "You expected kindness, from me? Do you know who I am? Do you know what I've done? There isn't a drop of kindness in me and you, Amory, were an idiot to ever believe that." Her eyes fall to her daughter's prone form, still bleeding out onto the ice, "and you have made a very _stupid_ mistake."

"No one takes advantage of me!" he roared and struck. He brought a bloodstained forepaw crashing down on Crimson, but it never hit its mark. It passed straight _through_ her and he stumbled, following it through her body. Crimson's face pulled tight like she was straining against something. She made no move to retaliate against Amory, she just stared at Sunrise, body flickering. She wasn't alive. She wasn't back. She'd used the last bits of her power to give herself a form to walk with, to find her daughter.

Amory's face contorted into one of pure rage. He looked like he was about to try again when Tornheart spoke, her voice reverberating off the ice, " _enough_." Crimson flinched and turned her head to look at her. She looked frightened. Amory was much the same, though he looked a tad more livid than fearful, but even he hadn't forgotten the very first day Tornheart had stood in the basin and show him a vision of death and despair. He hadn't forgotten her power.

"So the real traitor returns to her master," Amory purred, poison on his tongue.

Tornheart smiled, eyes sparking electric green. "We're all traitors here," she said. "Me, a traitor to my home. Crimson, a traitor to her kits and to her allies. You, a traitor to the Clans. None of us are any better than the other."

"So, who dies?" he hissed.

"Tornheart," Crimson began, voice quiet.

"You have done enough here," she interrupted her harshly. "There is nothing you can do to me or to him in your current state. I hope you freed Eaglestrike from your awful presence, I know what he's been through, what it's like to have you lurking in the back of my mind."

Crimson bristled, "but Sunrise!"

"Is one of us. She is a Clan cat and I will do everything in my power to save her. So _stay out of it_ ," she ordered. For the first time in her existence, Crimson stepped back. She bowed her head to a greater power. She gave up.

"Looks like it's going to be you and me," Amory said.

Tornheart didn't give him an answer. She lunged for him instead, feinting right then darting in left, ripping through the skin on his shoulder with her claws. When he turned she was waiting for him, up high on her hindlegs. The scars on his face gave way, reopened, under her claws, oozing fresh blood. He brought her down to the ice, a forepaw tripping her up, and carved red into her belly. She yowled and bit down into the side of his head, teeth plunging through thin skin and grating against bone. There was blood everywhere, his, hers, Sunrise's, Ice's. It coated them in a sickly layer of red, a mix of warm and ice cold.

If Tornheart had been any other cat perhaps Amory might have won. He was strong, there was no denying that, lifting her and throwing her into the ice - she felt the bruise swell on her skin. He was fighting for his life too, terrified that he'd be killed. But he wasn't Tornheart. He hadn't trained under Crimson.

She kicked him in the head and he slumped to the ice, head no doubt ringing. Bleeding, bruised, he struggled to rise to his paws. Whoever he'd run into before venturing out onto the ice had not held back, short of killing him outright. She pressed a forepaw to his head and drove it against the ice. A cracking sound rung loud. He cried out voice full of pain. Slowly she brought her teeth to his throat, eyes on Sunrise's body the entire time. _He deserves it, he deserves it, he deserves it, he deserves it_. His pulse was fluttering rapidly, she could see it through the patches of fur missing from his neck. The great Amory brought low, whiskers from death. If only his Nobles could see him now.

All she had to do was bite down and he'd be dead. He wouldn't be able to suck another group of unsuspecting cats under his wing again. Just one bite. _Aren't we better than this…?_

She pulled back and looked him in his scared, watering eyes. "A warrior does not need to kill to win their battles."

A big gust of air slipped from his parted mouth. "You...you aren't going to kill me?" he asked, staying dead still as if to avoid provoking her.

"No," Tornheart said, pulling away from him. "It isn't the way we used to live. If we want to bring the old back we have to follow their rules. Regardless of how much we don't want to. Trust me, Amory, I want nothing more right now than to rip your throat out. You deserve it."

"But the others want to kill me. Will you stop them?"

She laughed. "I won't stop them, Amory. So I suggest you _run_ far away from here and live out the rest of your sad little life there. You're leaving everything behind here. Your followers, your pride, your dignity, your oldest friend. You're going to turn tail and run like a coward, and you aren't going to complain about it or I might just go find Icepetal. I'm sure she'll treat you _very_ nicely."

Like a timid kit Amory rose shakily to his paws, well and truly beaten, and slunk away, limping and covered in blood. He disappeared into the trees without even a look behind at the 'friends' he was leaving. Tornheart watched him go with a satisfied smile. From the ashes of his legacy a new set of Clans would rise, four instead of six, as it always should have been.

At the sound of a pained cry she turned to face Sunrise, stretched out on the ice. Crouched over her, nudging her gently, was Crimson. Her nose passed through her daughter's fur each time but she didn't stop. There was something akin to grief in her eyes. It pulled at something inside Tornheart, the sight of Crimson mourning over her last living kit. "I never wanted you to die," she said into the bloody fur around Sunrise's throat. "I never wanted this. I'm _sorry_."

With regret pulling at her legs - for the things she'd never said, never done - Tornheart lay down in front of Sunrise, nose touching nose, and let out a long sigh. Fate had brought her this far, destiny would take her the rest. This was what she had been born for. Her life had been given shape so she could exist for this very moment, for this very task. Still, it was something she did with a heavy heart. But she was glad to do it to. For Sunrise she would drag the moon from the sky.

She gave Crimson one final look, one that she hoped conveyed every strange emotion she felt for the she-cat that had stripped her down then built her back up again, that had given her a kind of strength she hadn't known she'd needed. With a deep breathe she gave Sunrise everything she had.

"Thank you." Crimson stepped up and carried Tornheart into the next world. Then she let go and faded away.

* * *

"So, you're telling me that instead of running away and living a peaceful, relaxing life you followed Ice further into the mountains because you were curious, and then when you realised they were coming to attack us you raced down here just in time to save my life?" Willowclaw couldn't quite hold back the breath of laughter that escaped.

Cyrith grinned, wide and handsome. "Basically."

Shaking his head Willowclaw said, "amazing."

"Are you flirting with me, tough warrior?" the tabby purred. Before Willowclaw could answer, Cyrith turned his attention back to Icepetal, wrapped around Littlekit. Sadness pulled at his face, turned his grin into a frown. "I just wish I'd gotten here quicker."

Willowclaw swallowed his grief. Later, when everything was safer, he'd break down. But now Icepetal needed him. The Clans needed him. He tapped Cyrith's shoulder with his muzzle. "You did the best you could. You saved my life, that's more than enough."

"But I couldn't save the kit," he murmured.

"None of us could." Willowclaw brushed past him and crouched down next to Icepetal. She was staring blankly at Littlekit's body, neck wrenched at an awful angle and dusted with blood. "Icepetal," he said, nosing her gently, "we need to go back."

"I can't," Icepetal answered, voice hoarse and cracked. "I can't leave."

"You can't stay here either. It might not be safe. We can bring him with us, bury him on the Isle." _With the others_ , he almost said. There was no way every cat had survived the attack. It felt like it was over now. The sun had come back out, sunhigh strong, and the sounds of battle had faded. A few wolves had pelted over the ice nearby, fur missing in clumps. Still, they were hungry and a hungry wolf wouldn't pass up the chance to nab a she-cat mourning by herself.

Icepetal looked up at him, distraught in every line of her face. "Why couldn't I save him?" she whispered. "Why wasn't I strong enough to look after my kits?"

"No, no, Icepetal you were. You saved the others. You kept the others safe." Cyrith had them, his tail curled protectively around them. He was watching Icepetal with sad eyes. "You protected Heathersky too." Willowclaw was avoiding looking at Aspenthorn. He hadn't seen the SnowClan warrior die, hadn't known under what circumstance, but it still struck him somehow. Aspenthorn had been less of a foxheart recently. He'd been kinder, to Sunrise and Icepetal. A death like this wasn't what he deserved.

"But Littlekit," she cried. "He's dead!"

Willowclaw flinched. "I know," he answered. The words wobbled and wavered. "I know."

"I failed him, I failed _you_."

He threw himself around her and pressed his head against hers. Fiercely he said, "don't you ever say that. I don't want to hear you ever say that again. You could never fail me, Icepetal. I'm so proud of you. You're so brave and strong and _good_. Please don't say things like that. They aren't true and if Littlekit were here...if he were here he'd say the same."

"What did I ever do to deserve you?" she sniffled. "I'm so glad you're alive."

"There's someone else you need to thank for that," he purred, love filling him with a warmth unlike any other.

She shifted, raising her head to look over at Cyrith. Her smile was damp and a little sad, but filled with something else. "Come here," she said.

Looking a little apprehensive, he urged the kits towards her, a softness in his eyes whenever he looked at them. He herded them into their mother's embrace, then sat back. "Hello," he smiled, "again."

"You never stop surprising me," she told him. "First, you don't kill me. Second, you decide we're friends and talk to me about everything. Third, you save my life. Fourth, you save my mate's life."

"Well I couldn't just sit there and watch him die," Cyrith replied, smile turning cocky. "I know just how much he means to you."

"Thank you," Icepetal said sincerely. She felt Willowclaw smile against her neck.

Cyrith scuffed at the pebbles. "It was nothing."

"You can brag about it a little if you want," Willowclaw snarked, "I know I would."

"Oh I assure you, I will brag about it. Just, not right now. Maybe later. When the time is right," Cyrith said.

Willowclaw nodded and nudged Icepetal. "We should get back to the others. Nettleflame needs to know about Aspenthorn, and we need to know if everyone else is safe."

They rounded up the kits, now exhausted and practically asleep on their paws. Littlekit remained clutched in Icepetal's mouth, his mother guarding him for the final time. Cyrith heaved Aspenthorn onto his back, then helped Willowclaw maneuver Heathersky onto his. They looked like a mess of a group, beaten and bruised and bloodied, carrying the injured and the dead. But it was over. No one else would die today.

Sore and tired they traipsed through the forest, on edge, listening out for any sign of danger. Willowclaw kept an eye on his mate. She was devastated that much was clear and blaming herself for Littlekit's death. He was too. So was Cyrith. They all were. His first litter, his first chance at being a father, and he'd already lost one. It cut him deep, sliced open his heart. It made him ache. He couldn't even begin to understand how Icepetal was feeling.

The centre of the Isle was quiet, but not empty. Those that had survived were laying down, recovering from the bloodbath. Dustflower and Foxfeather, as well as a few others, were helping Stormwhisker to walk; his hindleg dragged behind him. Crowstrike struggled with Midnight's body. Redflower raced from cat to cat, herbs spilling from her mouth. It seemed Risingwhisper had returned to her healing routes, crouched by Breezepaw soothing the whimpering apprentice; he was missing an ear. The number of dead grew.

In a line beneath the thrones the dead lay. Upon reaching them Cyrith let Aspenthorn slide from his back, rearranging him with all the gentleness a friend might have had till he looked like he was only sleeping. With an aching heart Icepetal placed Littlekit down beside him and pressed her face into the tiny kit's side. Softly, in a voice that was meant only for her son, Icepetal said goodbye. Cyrith nosed at her neck and Willowclaw let her lean against him. In silence they looked at Littlekit, so tiny and small compared to the warrior resting beside him; taken too soon, far too soon.

Behind them someone cleared their throat. Jolted out of their shared silence they turned away from the dead. Singe smiled at his brother, hopelessly relieved. Then his smile slipped and his face became solemn. "I know you are mourning and I wish I could leave you to mourn in peace but there is something you need to see."

"What is it?" Willowclaw asked.

Singe shook his head. "It would be better for you to see than for me to tell you." He took them to the fallen tree. Others watched them go. Did they believe the Chosen now? They stopped by Marah to let Heathersky down. She was starting to stir, complaining about the headache she was going to have. The kits they left with the healer too. Marah just rolled her eyes and began sifting through a pile of herbs. Satisfied that Heathersky was going to be okay they caught up with Singe. He was standing just passed the huge tangle of branches and leaves, staring at something they couldn't yet see.

"I was trying to get Maplepaw to safety but she was petrified and wouldn't move. I didn't even notice the falling tree until it was too late. He saved our lives," Singe explained.

Willowclaw rounded the broken branches and stopped dead. He felt his heart miss several beats. He felt the world shudder. They looked peaceful, not tormented by a second voice occupying their head. It might have even looked like Eaglestrike was sleeping if he hadn't been half pinned under the thick trunk of the tree. His face was slack, his eyes closed, and his whiskers were frayed and bent; his head rested on its side. Dirt and dust had settled over him. Shiverlight was dutifully cleaning it off, grief stricken, heartbroken, her tears ran hot and free. Their kits, days off from being apprentices, lay together pressed up against his back.

"I'm so sorry, Shiverlight," Icepetal said, sitting down beside the distraught she-cat. There were fresh tears in her eyes too.

"I should have been expecting it. There was no other way to get rid of Crimson," Shiverlight swiped at her eyes. "I...I'd just hoped there'd be some miracle, kept waiting for Tornheart to say she knew how to save him." She nuzzled the side of his head. "He died a hero, Icepetal. He saved their lives."

"He was always a hero, he just got a little lost along the way."

So, once again, they gathered around a lost friend. They told stories and remembered the cat Eaglestrike had been before Crimson invaded his mind, the cat that had lead a ragtag group across an unknown land to defeat a monster. The cat that had given Willowclaw the strength to survive the tribe with only a few words. The cat that had fallen in love with a city assassin. The cat that was going to be greatly missed.

Just when they were about to leave Shiverlight to mourn in peace the tree trembled. It creaked and groaned and then lifted off the ground. Vines, thornless, lifted the heavy tree of of Eaglestrike and put it down softly just inside the forest. Looking nothing like the Elemental that had appeared in the basin that night, Earth stood timidly where the fallen tree had been. In a heartbeat Willowclaw and Cyrith were on their paws, placing themselves between Earth and the others.

But Earth made no attempt to attack. "I'm sorry. This is my fault. I made the tree fall." He hung his head, "I killed your friend."

"What do you want, Earth?" Cyrith spat. "Can't you see? You and Ice lost. The Clans one. Get out of here."

"I only want to apologise for the death I caused. Tornheart offered me what you got, Cyrith. Another chance. I see you've found a home here, I'm happy for you. All I want is for the Shadowstalker to take this power from me. I want to be free," he answered honestly.

The tension in Cyrith vanished. "You couldn't do it either? Continue to kill?"

"Not anymore innocents. No more kittens. No more families. I'm done, Cyrith." Earth looked pointedly at Eaglestrike. "The pain is too much to bare anymore."

Willowclaw glanced at Cyrith, "is he telling the truth?"

"He is," Cyrith replied. "He won't hurt anyone."

"I do have one question, however. When I fix the valley, do you want those thrones to remain?" Earth asked.

"You're going to fix the valley?" Willowclaw blinked at him. "Why?"

Earth twitched his ears. "It is one of the few things I can do to make right the wrongs. The thrones?"

"Get rid of them," Singe snapped. "They are only a reminder of a darker time."

"Then if you will excuse me I will start. When you see Sunrise tell her I am looking for her," he said before padding into the forest.

Cyrith smiled, "Eras deserves a better life than this. I hope he can find one in this world."

With Eaglestrike free from the fallen tree they picked him up and took him to join the rest of the dead. When the injured were safe and everyone found, they would be buried; side-by-side in separate graves. They would be given they peace they deserved for upholding their warrior vows. They would not be forgotten.

Arrow met them before they could reach the thrones. His eyes landed on Eaglestrike, slung over Willowclaw's back and he broke. Cracked sobs and fat tears he fell to his knees and wept. Stunned, Icepetal helped him back to his paws and wiped away his tears with her nose. "I know," she said. "He's gone."

"No, no it's not that," he choked out. "Well, it is. But...but Tornheart's gone too. I knew she was going to go today, I knew it was going to happen, but it still hurts so much. Why did she have to have this fate? Why couldn't she have lived a happy life with me? Why?"

"W-wait what did you say? Tornheart's...gone? What do you mean she's gone?!" Icepetal exclaimed. "Arrow!?"

He sniffed through another splattering of tears. "She'd known for moons. Her Guardians told her. She would give up her life so that Sunrise could live. Tornheart's gone, Icepetal. She's dead." The last word came out as more of a sob.

"She can't be," Willowclaw breathed. "We can't lose her too. We can't." His wall crumbled as his cheeks became wet. "Please not her too."

Sunrise slept. Though blood still soaked her neck the wound was gone. She was alive.

The unlikely family, the two remaining Chosen and those they'd picked up along the way, dug three graves. In one they placed Littlekit, dwarfed by the size of the grave. They lay him down in a bed of moss so he would be warm forever. In the second they placed Eaglestrike. A bold orange flower was dropped on him, Marah called it a gladiolus and said it meant strength. The warrior it rested on embodied strength. In the third and final grave they placed Tornheart. By the time they let her down softly all the others that had died were buried. The Clans surrounded the final grave, silent in their grief. One by one they apologised to the cat they had called the Betrayer. Arrow cried harder.

"When Willowclaw and Eaglestrike returned from the top of the mountain after killing Crimson the first time they told us about a miracle that had occurred. The moment Crimson's heart stopped beating the sky split open and stars rained down. It filled the mountain top with a warm water," Icepetal began when the final grave had been filled with dirt. "It washed away their wounds. It cleaned the blood from them. From the sky stepped a cat we'd lost. Littleflame, free from the injuries that had killed her, alongside two others. They said they were from a recreated StarClan."

Everyone was listening now. StarClan weren't important anymore. They were dead and gone, an old nightmare forgotten. "Not the StarClan we knew, the StarClan our High Stars told us about. Tornheart made sure we knew the difference. Long ago, when the Dark Forest 'triumphed' over StarClan they weren't doing it for us. It was out of greed and a lust for power, driven by creatures more monster than cat. StarClan wasn't evil. They weren't lording over us like tyrants. They were good and kind and watched over us, guided us. The High Stars cast them away from us and spun pretty lies till we fell over ourselves to please them."

Cyrith had drifted closer, enraptured. "Crimson destroyed our afterlife. We all know that, she made it very clear. But not all died. There were some that survived. One had a great power and she used it to create a new afterlife, shaped it after the stories her mother had told her of a kind StarClan. They brought it back. They gave us a final task. Return to the broken Clans and bring back the four. The Clans of old, ShadowClan, WindClan, RiverClan, and ThunderClan. So we came back, to Clans that did not want us and families that did not trust us. We carried this task, we watched it fade further away, we struggled against your hatred, against Amory, against the Elementals. Now, we find ourselves here. Standing before you and the ones we have lost with only this story to explain ourselves."

In the silence that followed Willowclaw felt every step of the journey they had been on. From the valley to the mountain and back again, into their destroyed homes then to the mountains, and then finally home once more. He felt the deaths of Littleflame and Rainpatch again, felt the sickening grief of finding out he would never see them again. The exhaustion, the despair, the horror.

Nettleflame made her way to stand in front of Icepetal, her white belly brown with the dirt from her mate's grave. She had been one of the cat's all for Icepetal's exile. "Before he died Aspenthorn told me how wrong he had been about you. When you were young you made mistakes. Silly ones, but they were only mistakes. He said he could hardly recognise you when you returned. A true warrior, he said. If Tornheart said that StarClan is good then I believe her. She wanted the best for us, she wouldn't lie."

"I think we can fill four Clans pretty easily," Emberstorm agreed.

"Does that mean we have to spend forever arguing about leaders?" Fadedtail whined.

"Look, Shiverlight has already lead a Clan once. I don't know about the rest of you," Frostfang interrupted, "but I am voting for her."

Thistletail shrugged, "she has experience that none of us have. Does anyone have anything against Shiverlight?" When the only responses were positive he grinned. "See, Fadedtail, didn't take that long at all, did it?"

She stuck her tongue out at him, "that's only one leader. There's four Clans. Can't you count?"

"Do I get a say in this?" Shiverlight asked.

Blizzardfang huffed, "she's right. Did you even ask her? Would you like to be a Clan leader again?"

Her eyes fell to Eaglestrike's grave. "I did a lot of things wrong last time I was a leader. There wasn't much I loved about those Clans. There's a lot I love about these Clans. I think I'd like the chance to be a leader again."

"We have our first leader!" Fadedtail shouted. "Who do you think should be a leader, Shiverlight?"

Shiverlight hummed thoughtfully and then smiled. "Icepetal."


	40. Chapter Forty: Future

**Chapter Forty: Future**

She took Eras into the forest. Far from wandering eyes and curious apprentices. He walked with a regality in his step, like _he_ owned the forest and the valley and the world. It was far from the truth; a prisoner of sorts, kept alive by the very cats he'd tried to kill for the sole purpose of fixing the damage he and his kin had done. Slowly, day by day, he had breathed life back into the broken valley. Bit by bit it returned to its original state of beauty. But some parts grew back not quite the same. There was no desert. There was no path into the mountains that would lead to an abandoned basin; now a cave stood in its place that held an underground pool, StarClan's home. There were no plains of snow. There were no thrones. Where the desert had been now dwelled a territory of rivers and creeks and thin forest. Where the snow had sat there were leagues of trees, patches of thick and thin, and places where nothing grew at all. Not quite home, but close enough.

WindClan had taken to WaveClan's old home, to the grasslands and the sand, on the cliffs where seagulls played. Strong in a gentle way and effortlessly caring, Heathersky was chosen to be their leader. She was the first to venture into the cave, to lay by the warm pool, to see those that had not survived. At dawn she emerged nine lives stronger, a leader blessed by a new StarClan.

From the creeks and rivers rose RiverClan. Few of the remaining Clan cats left had an affinity for swimming but those that did took to the water like it was an old friend. Those curious joined them, taking careful dips until they too could swim like they were born to do it. With his knowledge of the water from his days as WaveClan's deputy, Stormwhisker became Stormstar. None argued his leadership. Perhaps in his most surprising move he made Singe his deputy.

Where SnowClan had once ruled ThunderClan now roamed. Courageous, loyal to a fault, and welcoming to all, it was no surprise that Shiverstar lead them. For her it was a chance to cast her old life away and become someone new. Still there was no shaking off the memories or the fear when she lay down by the pool to meet an afterlife she wasn't truly sure she believed in. They proved her fears wrong, gave her the nine lives she deserved and showed her a StarClan she could trust in. "City cats," she said when she made Arrow her deputy, "should always stick together."

In the darkness cast by RisingClan's old pine forest lurked ShadowClan. Icepetal, still yet to receive her lives, was a cautious leader, unsure of her own strengths. By her side as her mate and her deputy, Willowclaw helped her. Leading was not something that came easy to either of them but together they muddled through it. Their Clan was a mismatch of the old six, cats from all. Marah had stayed with them as their medicine cat, training the other three from ShadowClan's secluded camp - hidden behind a tangle of fallen trees.

Sunrise lead Eras deeper into ShadowClan's forest, to the very edge of their territory where the forest faded to sloping mountains. No one truly knew what happened on the ice the day Crimson attacked. Not even she knew. Three days later she had awoken to a valley without Tornheart and Eaglestrike, a valley without the six Clans, a valley without death lingering over them. Deep down she knew Tornheart's death was her fault. She had died out on the ice, Amory's teeth had ripped her life away. Whether he'd done it to save the Clans or as an act or revenge she would never know, but he had killed her. Yet, somehow, she had been given a second chance.

Eaglestrike's death stung worse. The last time she'd seen him he'd been struggling to expel her mother from his head to warn his family of the danger. When she'd woken he was dead, buried alongside the others beneath the hill where the thrones had once been. A father of sorts that she would never get to say goodbye to; someone she had loved so much she would have given up her life, even the valley, for them. It would be a long time before she saw him or Tornheart again.

The cat walking with her was partially at fault for it all. A murderer, a monster, responsible for the deaths of so many Clan cats. But he was to be let go. Tornheart had promised him a new life in return for a fixed valley.

"Will it hurt?" Eras asked.

They had stopped now, resting on the very border between ShadowClan and mountain. "No," she answered, "it won't hurt. It might actually make you feel better."

"You don't want to do this, do you?" He wasn't looking at her but the long climb up into the mountains that he would be making once his power was gone. "You would much rather kill me."

"Yes, I would prefer to kill you. You killed someone in my family. You've brought nothing but pain to these Clans," Sunrise told him truthfully. There was no point hiding how she truly felt. All she wanted to do was thrust all her anger and pain onto the Elemental, to destroy him and hopefully the anguish she felt inside.

"So why don't you? No one would know," he said.

She sighed. "It's not the right thing to do. Killing is an endless cycle and I want to be free of it. All it does is bring pain and heartache. We're finally at peace now. There's no reason to kill you even if you might deserve it."

"I am sorry for those that you lost," Eras said earnestly, "for the pain I have caused you. I understand now how I was used and manipulated into doing awful things, and I would give anything to go back and change the things I did."

Sunrise looked at him, at the sad pull of his face, at the grief in his eyes, at the slump in his shoulders, and found that she did truly believe he was sorry. "Maybe, someday, I might be able to forgive you, but right now I can't. What I can do is take away your power and give you the freedom you want."

"How does it work?"

"You stand there and I do everything," Sunrise explained. "Accept the bond, I will do the rest."

Since reaching the edge of her power and plunging straight past it the shadows felt _wrong_. There was a true evil to them now just waiting for her to lose control again. It was like they could sense how uneasy she was, they had slowly been getting harder and harder to call upon. It wouldn't surprise her if she woke up one morning and could no longer use her shadow power. She wasn't sure if she would miss it or be thankful.

They coated Eras in a thin layer, running over him like water. A fragile strand reached out and stretched across the space between them, latching onto her chest. The bond rippled down it, pulling and flexing till it snapped into place and that feeling of another creature venturing into her mind returned. It was just as unnerving as the first time.

" _Show me who you really are._ "

A beach with pebbles and stones for sand. Cold, gray water lolled against the shore. Clattering amongst the stones was a family, six strong. Four kits, roughly apprentice age, batted a bundle of moss between each other. The sounds of happiness rose above the crashing of the ocean, joyful shouting and gentle laughter.

" _My home. My family._ " There was a smile in Eras's voice. " _I haven't thought about them in a long time._ "

" _Do you miss them?_ "

" _No, I don't miss them, I don't really remember them. I miss the idea of them, the idea of a family, of parents and siblings; someone that would always love me._ "

" _What happened to them?_ "

Stones soaked in blood. A sunset bleaching the world red. Eyes colder than the ocean. Five bodies. Atsiya, blood soaked and grinning, advanced towards a trembling gray kit. They'd encased themself in a den of tree roots. "Don't worry," she purred. "You're one of us now." Hot flames devoured the wood, turned it to ash. "Come. We are your family now."

" _So I went with them. I grew. I reached the point where we all stop aging. I forgot the family they killed. I became the monster they wanted terrified that if I didn't they'd kill me too._ "

One by one those he killed appeared. Kits, far too many of them, with eyes full of fear, screaming for help that would never come. Mothers dragged away, some limp others fighting with all their strength. Fathers gutted and left to rot. Entire families destroyed. With each death the trembling kit, now a towering brown tomcat, grew sadder. The burden on his shoulders grew heavier. Despair and agony dogged his every step. Each order from Atsiya filled him with a deep regret.

Then Soran appeared, drenched in darkness and looking every bit the true Shadowstalker. Unlike Cyrith's vision he wasn't hideous, just average. His power, however, was just as terrifying. An army of shadow cats, a land plunged into midnight. Still, he hadn't been strong enough and the moment came where Eras caught him by the throat, barbs digging into his throat, and hoisted him into the tree right before Astiya froze everything.

" _The time we spent in the ice was so peaceful. I didn't have to kill or destroy. I was free and it felt beautiful. Seasons ran by free of our destruction. We should have remained frozen forever, lost to history, a myth. I went back to following Atsiya's every order, became her ever faithful monster. At the beginning your valley, your Clans, were no different from any other group we've stumbled across. You were to be destroyed, that was all there was to it. But the longer we all spent in the valley the more we changed. Cyrith vanished for days at a time. Wind stopped being so ruthless, became softer, quieter, sadder. I...I began to fall under the weight of all the things I'd done. Atsiya just grew worse; darker, more driven to spill blood._ "

A forest in the valley, ThunderClan's territory now, lit warmly by a bright sun. In a carefully crafted den lay Icepetal. Cyrith sat by her, grinning as they spoke. There was a peaceful feeling humming down the shadow connecting them.

" _Did she change your mind?_ "

" _No, but the kits inside her did. There is no explaining the feeling of knowing you murdered innocent lives before they could even take their first breath. I just couldn't bring myself to do it again. Not to her, not to anyone._ "

" _So you let her go?_ "

" _I let Cyrith and Wind take her and the kits away._ "

" _Thank you._ "

" _I didn't do it for you or for anyone else._ "

" _Are you ready?_ "

" _Yes_."

The line snapped and Sunrise's eyes snapped open. Her shadows curled free, falling from his fur and vanishing. As they peeled away so did the brown of his fur. Beneath it shone through a soft gray, longer and fluffier than the tangled strands of his old pelt. He shook off his past and stepped into a new life, one that Sunrise hoped was better for him and for the world. A long, pleased sigh escaped him and a wide smile spread across his muzzle. Pretty blue eyes took in the forest around them with a new light. His thick tail, tipped with white, curled happily.

"I've been wanting to feel like this for so long," he breathed. "The ground doesn't speak to me anymore, the trees don't whisper my name. The silence is beautiful. Thank you, thank you for giving me a second chance to live the lift I lost." A warm feeling spread from the tips of her toes to the end of her nose. Eras gaped at her, eyes impossibly wide, jaw slack. She stared back and caught the traces of a faint golden light in the reflection of his eyes.

Wrinkling her nose she snapped, "what!?"

"I, you, uh, you're golden?" he spluttered.

"I'm what? Are you okay? Maybe the change did something weird to your head," she huffed, tail twitching.

He shook his head, "I'm being serious, your fur's turned golden."

Confused and mostly sceptical, Sunrise glanced over her shoulder expecting to see her usual black pelt. She squeaked when she was instead greeted by bright gold instead. It was just as long and smooth as it had been but _gold_. Warm gold, like the sun. She searched all over for a spot of black but found nothing but pure gold. "I can't believe it," she murmured. "It happened."

"So after all of _my_ hard work you get the pretty golden pelt and I get stuck with _this_." Full of hate and malice, the voice made them both jump. From a fallen tree, stuck in the fork of a tree beside it, lurked a stranger. They blended with the shadows cast by the trees, green eyes catching the light slanting through the leaves. Something about them was oddly familiar, though Sunrise didn't know what. A nasty scowled pulled at their face. "You can't even recognise me like this. How _far_ I have fallen, and it's all your fault."

"Who are you?" Sunrise demanded. A cold feeling was replacing the warmth in her bones. Deep down she knew something was wrong.

They stepped out from under the tree, into the light, and sneered, "have you forgotten who taught you how to control your powers? Such a grateful student. Do you treat your mentor that way? Oh, wait, he's dead."

Sunrise bristled. "Why are you here, Sheara?" She hadn't forgotten what the Shadowstalker had revealed while she'd been spiralling closer and closer to an edge that only death had brought her back from. Hope's death, the incessant need to spill blood, the pushing to do _more_ , all Sheara's meddling. She'd been using her since day one, forcing her to need that extra bit of power so that she wouldn't balk at nearing the edge of her powers. It seemed that her actions had not gone unpunished, her beautiful golden fur now pitch black.

"All you had to do was tumble right off that edge and disappear into the carnage. You were never supposed to mean anything to anyone. You were never supposed to be the Shadowstalker that killed the Elementals. But no, you couldn't just stay a useless Clan apprentice you had to make friends and grow strong and do impossible things. That was supposed to be _me._ I was supposed to be the one that killed the Elementals," Sheara snarled. "You see, stupid kit, I've been around long enough to discover what happens when a Shadowstalker plunges past that edge. They fill the world with so much power all at once that the lines between the living world and the afterlife _blur_."

"You can already come down into the living world, you're here right now," Sunrise pointed out. Behind her she could hear Eras growling.

Sheara laughed. "Only part of me is here right now. No, when those lines blur my entire being can cross that line. I can affect the living, destroy the Elementals myself when they were so distracted by this darkness erupting around them. Right now all I can do is hurt you. I suppose that will have to do, it's not like this dark pelt of mine can get any darker, is it?"

"But I'm living, you can't hurt me," she hissed, calling upon her shadows.

"Don't be ridiculous. We're Shadowstalkers, we always have one paw in the grave." A branch broke free above their heads, snapped by curling shadows, and plummeted to the ground. Eras shoved her out of the way, the branch colliding with his side as he moved. A pained groan echoed from him. Sunrise bit back instantly, razor sharp shards of black slicing through the skin on Sheara's neck. Lashing out she wrapped darkness around Sheara's throat and sent a line of flames dancing towards her. Sheara shrieked, slicing through the shadows with her claws.

Sunrise advanced with a snarl. "Do you really think you can beat me? After everything you've seen me do?" A harsh gust of wind tore through the forest and slammed Sheara up into the fallen tree. Her head smacked into it with a loud thud. " _I_ am the Shadowstalker that destroyed the Elementals. _I_ did it without needing a great distraction. _I_ used everything I had, nearly killed myself and everyone in the valley to do what you could never do. But you still think I'm some weak apprentice," she sneered and pressed Sheara harder into the tree.

The trunk shuddered and cracked in half, Sheara's shadows crushing it. She dropped to the ground with a wheeze, eyes watering. "You're so naive." Darkness burst from the leaves beside Sunrise latching onto her legs and dragging her to the ground. They slithered up her body while she writhed, batting at them with her own shadows. No matter how hard she wriggled or how many shadows she threw out, Sheara's only caught more of her till they wrapped around her throat and Sunrise stilled. "'Oh, look at me, I'm Sunrise and I killed two Elementals and set the other two free I must be the strongest cat in the whole world', pathetic. You might be stronger than me but that doesn't mean I can't kill you. Look at you now," she purred, "all wrapped up."

"So you're going to kill me then?" Sunrise spat, "because your plan failed and you lost your pretty fur? So kitlike."

The shadows squeezed and Sunrise gasped, clawing at them, but they refused to give. "You're not in a very good position to be insulting me like that," Sheara seethed. She slunk over, pausing to regard Eras's still form with a scowl, and leaned down till her muzzle brushed Sunrise's ear. "Since you and Soran are so close why don't I string you up like him? Give you something else to bond over." Panic seized Sunrise. All she could see was the shadow dangling from the tree the day Soran had stormed off, but now it was her. "I'll keep you busy," she cooed, "so you can't use those nifty little powers of yours to free yourself. Then I'll leave you up there for your precious family to find."

For a brief moment Sunrise did nothing. She let the shadows curl tighter around her throat. She thought about what it would be like to die. Would Eaglestrike be waiting? Would she be able to say sorry for never noticing that he was struggling? Would she be able to tell him she loved him? Tornheart would be there too, right? Then this fierce desire to _live_ surged. She'd survived moons in a damp, dark cave. She'd survived Clans that might have preferred her dead. She'd survived four cats with powers greater than anything. She'd survived Amory. She would not let this be the end of her, not now, not when the chance to live a normal life was so close.

Gently she reached up with her own shadows and grabbed onto the ones slipping and sliding around her throat. With a slight tug she coaxed them free, slipping her darkness into them, corrupting them, turning them from Sheara's to hers. With a loud snarl she kicked Sheara away. "I'm not dying here," she said hoarsely, throat aching. "Not today. Not for a long time."

Soran and Leon materialised beside Sheara, dragging shadows from the trees to create their bodies. "I'm not surprised you ended up down here terrorising the living," Soran hissed, "but to attack your own kin? Disgusting."

"We're the same now, you and I," Sheara leered.

"No. He's nothing like you. Soran took responsibility for the things he did, though it did take him a long time. You just blamed Sunrise for everything," Leon sniffed. "We're here to take you back, and to strip you of your power."

Sheara flattened herself to the ground and gave a shocked whine, "you can't take my powers away! I'll be cast out from our afterlife if you do!"

"It's what you deserve," Soran said flatly.

As he spoke Willowclaw, Cyrith, and Icepetal crashed through the undergrowth opposite them, flanks heaving as they stopped. "We," Willowclaw panted, "heard fighting." Lifting his head he took in the scene they'd stumbled into. Confused he tilted his head and said, "I only know two of the cats here."

"That's because the other three are dead Shadowstalkers," Sunrise supplied, rubbing at the sore line around her throat.

"Leon?" Cyrith breathed

The little Shadowstalker pricked his ears and gave Cyrith a brilliant smile. "Hi," he said. "I'm glad you got a second chance."

Cyrith nodded dumbly. "Are...are you okay?"

"Of course. I don't mind being dead now, it's been a long time I've kind of gotten used to it," Leon answered.

"This is a lovely reunion and all," Icepetal interrupted, "but would someone like to explain why Eras isn't moving?"

Sunrise nosed at Era's shoulder, satisfied that she could hear a heartbeat when she pressed her ear against him. "He's alive. He'll need to see Marah, though. Not being immortal all of a sudden must really suck. Sheara attacked us and he knocked me out of the way."

"He's really going all out with this redemption thing, isn't he?" Willowclaw remarked.

While the others saw to Eras, Soran nipped at Sunrise's tail and drew her away. "Are you alright?" he asked quietly. "Did she hurt you?"

"Not badly...but she was going to kill me the same way Earth killed you," Sunrise murmured. She could still feel the tightness squeezing the air from her lungs.

Soran sighed and dropped his head on top of hers. "I'm sorry we didn't get here sooner. We were trying to take her power away when she got loose and vanished."

"It's fine. It's finished now."

"Hey, Soran!" Leon called, "we need to take Sheara back before she causes more trouble!"

He pulled away from Sunrise but not before he said, "will you come visit us tonight? We want to apologise for the things Sheara did."

"I'll be there," she replied with a smile.

Without much care for Sheara, Soran and Leon forced her to her paws and the three of them faded from the living world. Sunrise sunk onto her haunches, the reality of what had just happened finally sinking in. Her throat still ached. _What an awful way to die_. Icepetal came to sit beside her, a soothing purr rumbling in her chest. She'd gotten very good at comforting, her kits bringing out a strange softness in her.

"I'm fine," she said before Icepetal could ask. "Just tired."

"Do you want us to walk back with you?" Icepetal nuzzled the side of her neck. "You could also tell me why your fur is now bright gold."

Sunrise shook her head, "you're going to get your nine lives, right? Go get them, I can walk back to camp just fine. I'll get Eras to Marah." She glanced down at her now golden paws. "When a Shadowstalker uses their power solely for good, their fur turns the colour of the sun. It's a gift."

"It's beautiful."

"You can't carry Eras, he's huge," Willowclaw interrupted with a laugh.

Cyrith snorted, "that's something coming from you. You're both as big as trees."

"Don't you two start arguing or you can both walk back to camp with Sunrise," Icepetal snapped but there was a smile on her face and a bright light in her eyes.

Sunrise relaxed. She was safe, she was home, she was surrounded by a family that loved her. Everything was going to be okay. "I've got all these powers, if I can't use them to carry an unconscious cat that what _can_ I use them for?" she muttered, leaning into Icepetal before she stood. "Good luck getting your lives."

"I'm a little nervous."

"There's no need to be," Cyrith replied. "You've been a great leader already."

Icepetal watched Sunrise nudge Willowclaw away from Eras. "It's not that I'm nervous about. It's who's going to be there."

His smile was soft and gentle, his touch even more so when he pressed against her side, purring loudly. "Whoever's waiting for you up there is proud of you," he said. "Just like we're proud of you."

Eras floated by them on a carpet of shadows, Sunrise leading him with an amused grin. Behind her Willowclaw was laughing. Icepetal let loose a long breath. "I'm just glad we have a chance to live a normal life."

"Is anything actually ever normal with us?" Willowclaw asked, nestling into Icepetal's other side. "It is rather peaceful though."

"Come on then, let's go get your nine lives!" Cyrith chirped.

Quiet, but content, Icepetal followed the two tomcats further into their territory, following the border with the mountains. Beneath their paws tough grass turned to rock, and around them the thick pine forest became sparse pockets of brave trees. There was no longer a chill in the air. Leaf bare had finally abandoned its grip and let new leaf settle comfortably over the valley. It had filled their land with the sights and sounds of new life, the prey returning with a strength they'd never seen before; it would be a long time before anyone went hungry again.

The cave Moonpool dwelled in wasn't secluded or secretive, its mouth yawned in the side of a sharp cliff, impossibly wide and deep. She felt dwarfed walking into its stone belly, a tiny creature standing beneath a towering presence. Inside everything faded away replaced by a sense of safety and warmth. The peaceful sound of water running echoed all around. Icepetal felt her worries, her fears, fall away. Whatever happened after she drank from the pool and fell asleep was nothing to be frightened of. The Clans had accepted her as a leader. StarClan would too.

Moonpool unfolded before them, shallow water illuminated by the sunlight streaming in through a hole in the roof. Lichen and moss clung to every stone. A few nondescript bugs bumbled about. A paradise within a stone being. They stepped up to the water's edge and watched it brush against the stone.

"When we wake up in StarClan," Icepetal whispered, afraid to break the serenity with her own voice, "you two can't say or do anything. You're only allowed to watch." With that said she leaned down and drank from the pool. Almost immediately a sense of unavoidable tiredness settled deep in her bones. The sounds of the other two drinking were muffled as she curled up on the warm stone. Her eyelids dragged themselves down. Her body demanded sleep. So, without any resistance, she gave in and went under.

She felt when the stone beneath her became grass, felt when her body pulled itself free from that need to rest, but found she could not move not matter how hard she tried. A great weight seemed to lift itself from her body and only then could she rise shakily to her paws and open her eyes to witness the wonderful afterlife. A great sun, golden and fat, sat happily in the sky, spreading a heat into the world that wasn't stifling or too little but perfect. In a clearing of short grass surrounded by a ring of forest, Icepetal inhaled the fresh air. A flicker of movement caught her eye, Willowclaw and Cyrith shifting to their paws. As they'd promised they said nothing, just stared in amazement.

"You've finally come to see us, then?" Her heart thudded painfully in her chest at the sound of Rainpatch's voice. If she could have moved her paws she would have ran right to him but stubbornly they refused. "I was beginning to think you'd never make it here," he jested. He looked just as healthy, just as _happy_ , as the day they'd met on WaveClan's beach.

"Had to make sure my entrance was as dramatic as possible," she teased. Behind him was everyone they'd lost. All the Clan cats killed during Crimson's reign, the ones that had died when the Elementals had first appeared, the subsequent victims of Amory, and then the ones that had given everything to keep their fragile beginnings alive when all three came back one final time. It filled Icepetal with a sense of pride to know that they all stood there to give the safety and wellbeing of their kin over to her.

Rainpatch laughed, a sound Icepetal wished she could still hear every day. "Are you ready to receive your nine lives?" he asked.

"I am."

Eight cats stepped forward to join him and a pain struck Icepetal in her chest. Seven of them she knew, six of them she called friends, five she called family. _You should all still be alive_. They shouldn't have been standing in front of her, but instead waiting for her back in the living world.

Rainpatch stepped back and a little she-cat, apprentice age with a pretty red-patched pelt took his place. There was a wisdom in her eyes not often seen in someone so young. "My name is Berrypaw," she said, "and I helped to bring StarClan back. Now we stand here ready to give you the nine lives of a leader." She reached up and Icepetal leant down till she felt a cold nose touch the top of her head. "With this life I give you faith. Have faith in StarClan, have faith in the Clans, have faith in _yourself_ , and you will never again spend a moment alone."

She felt like she was nursing at her mother's belly again, so safe and so secure it was as if nothing in the world could hurt her. But it wasn't her mother and she wasn't nursing, it was StarClan and they were wrapping themselves around her, protecting her from things she could not see - perhaps did not want to ever see.

Berrypaw withdrew but did not take the feeling of safety with her, it remained nestled deep in Icepetal, a feeling that would never leave as long as she always believed in StarClan. It was forgotten when Dustclaw planted himself in front of her with his cocky grin. He had been the last of her true family to die, slipping silently into death during the night his wounds too great for him to overcome. His nose on her head felt like home.

"You've done so much in your life already; survived a Clan that wasn't particularly kind to you, travelled across lands unknown to us, defeated an evil greater than any twice, and brought back a lost history," Dustclaw said proudly. "The life I give you comes with the boundless energy to do even more magnificent things."

Through his eyes she watched herself grow: watched herself hiss and spit and snarl at anyone that dare say she was less for having impure blood, watched herself take her warrior name with a ferocious pride in her eyes, watched herself fight for a Clan that exiled her days later, watched herself return a stronger cat, a better cat, to fight for that Clan once more. She could feel how proud her brother was, could see it in the way he was always watching her. For him she would use all she had to keep the peace, even if it meant running herself ragged.

His cocky grin only grew wider when he stepped away, ego fuelled by the knowledge that his sister was going to be one of the best leaders, one cats would tell stories about seasons after her death.

Sorrow and guilt trickled into Icepetal when Lightningfall took Dustclaw's place in front of her. She still hadn't forgotten the crazed look in his eyes that morning on the ledge, couldn't forget the horrible thing he'd become, and she would never be able to forget the look of betrayal and hurt in his eyes when he'd died. Now he stood before her as the warrior he had been, resplendent in his strength. "Sometimes," he began, voice soft with a love he knew would no longer be returned, "doing the right thing doesn't _feel_ like doing the right thing. It feels wrong and cruel. As a leader everyone will look to you, question you. I give you the courage to always do what is right even when it might seem wrong."

An agony unlike any other squeezed vice like around her heart. She saw him bury his mate, his beautiful mate, and then leave. A journey spread out before her, long and empty, filled with a desperate need to find something he'd lost. Along the way he lost who he was, lost his mind, lost his heart. The agony returned even worse than before and Icepetal felt her legs shake under the weight of keeping her standing. Lightningfall wasn't Lightningfall when he found her on the ledge, he was a broken shell of a once brave warrior trying to chase a feeling he didn't know had long since died and been rekindled by another. A sense of gratefulness rushed up to replace the agony, soothing the hurt, when he was flung from the mountain and to his death.

He let his nose rest on her head perhaps a little longer than he needed to. "I hope they take good care of you," he murmured, eyes wandering over the two tomcats watching curiously. "Or they'll have me to deal with."

Of all the cats Icepetal had expected, the next was not one of them. Aspenthorn flicked his brother in the face with his tail before giving Icepetal his full attention. She searched for the familiar hatred in his eyes but found only an odd kindness. His nose pressed against her head. "This life comes with determination. I have never met a more determined cat than you. After everything our Clan did to you you still fought for us, for you place among us, for the life you wanted with us. I hope you carry that ruthless determination with you forever."

She could remember the moons she spent fighting to prove herself to cats that refused to change their minds. The anger, the yearning, the need to be someone better, she could remember the nights she spent curled up in her nest feeling it all. With every defeat, every knock back, every sneered insult, she grew stronger, faster, _better_. She smirked at Aspenthorn when he pulled away. For him she would spent the rest of her life showing the world that she was _strong_ and there was nothing it could do to change that. She'd spend it all proving his younger self wrong, proving all those that had doubted her wrong.

Shatteredlight looked nothing like her mother but they both carried themselves in the same way; a way that begged anyone to do them wrong and face their wrath. The great wound along her neck that had killed her was gone, no trace of the blood or flayed skin when she reached over to touch her nose to Icepetal's head. "I know firsthand the difficulties that come with being a leader. You will need the strength to act without fear or judgement. With this life that is what I give you. Make the tough decisions and stand strong through the consequences."

All the fears she'd first felt when it was agreed she would lead a Clan returned; the doubt, the anxiety, the uncertainty, the terror that she would let everyone down. They were like a great hulking beast advancing towards her with great claws and teeth ready to tear her into tiny pieces. But this time she knew she would survive. She had friends, an entire Clan, and two cats that loved her deeply that would always be there to help her. No one expected her to be perfect, they just expected her to try her best. She could give them that.

"You'll make a great leader," Shatteredlight purred.

He looked nothing like he had the day he lost the war on his mind. Eaglestrike was happier, walking with a strength in his step that had been lost for so long. Still there was a sadness hidden in his eyes when he looked at Icepetal, a sorrow she longed to remove. He'd been through so much. He deserved to rest free of guilt. With a smile that tried so hard to reach into his eyes, Eaglestrike butted his head against hers before sliding his nose along it. "We all make mistakes," his voice was choked, "forgetting them is hard. Forgiving them is harder. You could have blamed me for what happened, but you didn't. That means more to be than you will ever know. So with this life I give you forgiveness."

A stifling sadness swelled within her chest. A terrible guilt joined in. The two warred with every happy feeling in her head, laying waste to it all till only despair was left. An awful sense of weakness threatened to devour her, it licked greedy jaws as it waited, and when she fell she fell hard. If this was how he had felt before letting Crimson win then she didn't blame him for it. The self-hatred, the heartache, the loss, it felt like a heavy rock dragging her deeper and deeper underwater. The surface seemed so far away. A paw thrust through it and dragged her up, out of the depths and into the air, away from the despair and the weakness, towards feline silhouettes she knew would always forgive.

"I'm sorry," she whimpered. "I'm sorry we weren't there for you when you needed us."

Eaglestrike smiled sadly and licked her cheek. "No one could have saved me. But you're here for me now and that's all that matters." He turned to walk away, passing Littleflame who blatantly ignored him. By her paws trotted Littlekit and Icepetal's heart broke. The kit she had failed to keep safe would now never get to grow up. He squeaked out a great mew at the sight of his mother, almost tumbling over his own paws to get to her. She managed to get a laugh past the lump in her throat, crouching down to smother him in licks.

Settling on the ground Littleflame said, "I'll look after him."

"Thank you," Icepetal smothered a sniffle.

They rose back to their full height together and Littleflame tapped her nose to her forehead. "Not everyone is good. Not everything is black and white. But there will often be a reason behind the bad things we do. With this life comes mercy. Use it to give those that may not deserve it a second chance."

She thought of Felix and Sadie, two soldiers that had given up their ways to fight against Crimson even if no one trusted them. She thought of Apollo, the assassin leaving behind the life she was comfortable with to chase a love she wasn't sure would be returned. She thought of Tornheart, one of Crimson's most trusted allies risking everything to fix the things her betrayal had caused. She thought of Littleflame, scared and frightened, unsure if she was strong enough to do what was expected of her, accepting the help she so desperately needed from a source that would only use her.

"I'll make sure he knows just how brave his mother is," Littleflame promised, guiding Littlekit away. Icepetal watched them go with a heavy heart.

"When I first saw you all together I would never imagine we would end up like this," Tornheart mused, tail curled happily. The scars Frozengaze had given her were still there but she seemed content with them now and that made her even more beautiful than she already was. Starlight twinkled in her eyes. "The power of love is incomparable to anything else. It helped me save the world once and it will do it again long after we have faded. It saved me. I see it strengthening you each day. Use it, it asks for nothing in return."

All the time she had spent with the Chosen came rushing back with a wonderful feeling of _peace_. They were a family, and she watched them come together as an mismatched group of acquaintances and evolve into a family made strong by the hardships they had gone through. She looked over her shoulder at Willowclaw and Cyrith, thought of her kits back in camp, and the feeling only grew infinitely stronger. A long time ago she had scoffed at the idea of love. Now she could feel it coursing through her each day, lending her the power to do things she never thought possible, like bring down a wolf hellbent on ripping everything apart. She knew now that for love she would lay down her own life.

"I'm proud of you," Tornheart said. "You've come so far, grown so much, and I have no words to describe how happy I am for you."

She rejoined StarClan's lines and Icepetal's final life-giver retook his place in front of her, mischievous grin settled on his face right where it belonged. "Had to save the best for last," Rainpatch winked.

"I wouldn't have it any other way," she nipped at his ear.

Gently he nosed at her head. "With this life I give you friendship, a gift with no price. It took me on a journey I will never forget, with cats I will forever call family. It challenged me, and gave me hope for a better world. I hope it continues to do the same for you." He slid his nose down and pressed their heads together. There was no pain, no memories, no visions of his life, only a silence that was filled with everything they wanted to say to each other. She wanted to tell him he was her first true friend, but she had a feeling he already knew that. He wanted to tell her how much he missed her, but he knew she definitely already knew that. So they stayed like that, in their comfortable silence, until Rainpatch drew back.

Tornheart was at his side once again, smiling beautifully. "I hail you by your new name, Icestar. The life you once lived is no more. You now have the nine lives a true leader, one picked by StarClan, deserves, and we now give you guardianship over ShadowClan. Defend it with everything you have; care for all that call it home, from the very young to the very old; honour us and never forget our true history; uphold the warrior code and the peace; live every moment of each life with pride and dignity."

Her new name was chanted to the fat sun in the sky, and Icestar felt so happy she thought she might burst. The Chosen, Tornheart included, surrounded her. Rainpatch called Willowclaw over and he joined them with a loud purr. Their family was finally together again, not separated by death. One day, hopefully in the distant future, they would all truly be together. But for now this one moment was all they could have and they revelled in it. Icestar felt like she was home; surrounded by the cats that she had grown to love so fiercely and deeply. Twisting out of their little bubble, she grabbed Cyrith's attention and gestured for him to join them. He hesitated, then made his way over. He was part of their family now regardless of whether he believed that or not.

It was a sad moment when they broke apart knowing that three of them had to return to the living world, but it was softened by the knowledge that they would see each other again. Rainpatch nuzzled Icestar one final time before he said goodbye. She closed her eyes and woke up back in the cave beside Moonpool. Her body buzzed with energy and she felt infinitely stronger.

"A leader," Willowclaw groaned as he stretched, something akin to awe shining in his eyes. He shot Cyrith a pleased grin, "our mate's a leader."

Cyrith hummed in agreement, "a leader with a very fierce name. Not that I won't miss your old name," he added. "It was a very beautiful name."

"But _Icestar_ ," Willowclaw breathed. "There are going to be legends about you."

Icestar laughed and licked her mate's on the muzzle. "There are going to be legends about all of us you know. It's not like I got here by myself."

"So, what do we do now?" Willowclaw asked while Cyrith busied himself with flattening a bit of Icestar's fur.

"We go home," Icestar replied. "There's something I have to do."

They were greeted with cheers and loud shouts of her new name when they slipped through the tunnel they'd made in a pile of fallen trees. The clearing with its short but soft grass was perfect for them, spacious enough for their Clan to grow but not so large that it felt empty with their small numbers. From the old Clans Owlshadow, Foxfeather, Ashstep, Thornfur, Pebblefrost, Soaringhawk and Crowstrike had joined ShadowClan, as had Breezepaw and Stripepaw, but numbers changed and shifted. While each Clan had borders they were crossed regularly. There were no tensions between Clans, no need to be on edge with each other, and so friends crossed territories to visit each other, and those uncomfortable in one Clan were welcome to join another.

Icestar climbed up onto the trunk of a fallen tree and waited for her Clan to fall silent. She could see Sunrise sitting with the other two apprentice near the back. "There is something I want to do now that I am a leader. I believe this cat has done enough to deserve this and I hope the rest of you do too. Sunrise, come here."

The Shadowstalker blinked a few times before she made her way to the front. Icestar jumped down from the tree to stand in front of the she-cat. They were the same height now; Sunrise was far from the little kit they had found in the mountain that day. "As leader of ShadowClan I call upon StarClan to look down upon this apprentice and see all the things she has done to protect us. If her mentor were still here I know he would say she is more than ready, that she has worked so hard to learn our ways. Sunrise, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and defend this Clan, and the other Clans if needed, with everything you have, even your life?"

"I do," Sunrise said, her voice strong and without a single waver.

"Then by the power of StarClan, I give you your warrior name. Sunrise, from this moment on you will forever be known by Sunheart. All the Clans, including StarClan, honour your determination and your courage. Thank you for all you have done for us."

Sunheart smiled, bright and beautiful.


	41. The End

**Chapter Forty-One: The End**

* * *

" _Five have been Chosen, born in the darkest of times, blessed by the purest of hearts, soiled by the harshest lives. They will cast out the shadows and bring back the light; but not without hardships, for all victories must be won with loss. In the end, when the sun has died, two will stand against Her, the strongest of those Chosen. Yet the darkness will continue to corrupt, stalker of shadows will rise against the elements, and an era will die. Only with death shall peace be found."_

* * *

"Is that it?" Bramblekit shouted, slipping off Snowflight's head. She peered at her with a deep frown. "That can't be it."

Snowflight licked her forehead and purred, "there's no more just yet because we're still living the story. Maybe when you're older you'll do something great and add to it."

The she-kit gaped, eyes wide, and turned to her siblings. "Did you hear that? We have to make sure we do something super important when we're older so _we_ can be part of the story too!"

Birchkit shook his head. "I think I'd like to live a quiet life instead," he said solemnly. "That all sounded rather scary."

"We'd protect you, wouldn't we, Swallowkit?" Bramblekit demanded. Her sister, Swallowkit, nodded.

"Perhaps," Snowflight said, "it would be best to just wait for adventure to come to you instead."

Swallowkit pouted. "But that sounds boring."

"Boring's fine as long as Crimson doesn't come back," Birchkit retorted. "Would you like to fight her? I wouldn't."

"If Crimson did come back the Chosen would deal with her," Bramblekit grinned.

"Yeah! Sunheart would beat her up!" Swallowkit agreed.

Snowflight huffed out a quiet laugh and spotted Inara leaving the medicine den, a pleased smile on her face. "You three better get ready, your mother's coming to take you back to ThunderClan."

"Do we have to leave yet? I want to hear more stories," Birchkit whined.

"I'm afraid I'm out of stories," she replied. "Ask Shiverstar if she has any, she's been all over the world."

"Have you three behaved?" Inara inquired, leaning down to run her muzzle along Bramblekit's back.

She shot her mother an innocent smile. "Of course we have!"

"Now why do I not believe that?" Inara snorted.

"Is Thrushstep okay?"

"Your father's fine, Birchkit. Rainleap and Marah are taking very good care of him. If you _behave_ we might come and see him again tomorrow, but only if you three are good," Inara warned. "Thank you for watching them, Snowflight."

Snowflight twitched an ear. "They were on their best behaviour," she said.

"She told us the story about Crimson and the Chosen!" Bramblekit chirped. "When I grow up I'm going to do something as cool as that."

"For all our sake I hope you don't have to," Inara said while shepherding her kits towards the forest.

Snowflight watched them go, a content feeling settling into her bones. With a sigh she rolled onto her back and let the sun warm her belly. Greenleaf had brought nothing but happiness to the Clans this season. The prey was running thick, the air was warm, and the valley was thriving. After moons of suffering under Crimson's rule, Snowflight suspected the older warriors were more than pleased at the long stretch of peace they'd had. After all, hunting and patrolling were a lot more easier when there weren't enemies behind every tree.

Her stomach rumbled, and she shifted onto her paws in search of fresh kill just in time to see her brother trot into camp with a _very_ appetising rabbit. "Stormfrost!" she called, "come share that rabbit with me." Flicking an ear in reply he made his way over to her.

"Actually, you can come and share that rabbit with your father," Cyrith interrupted sleepily, stirring from where he lay against Icestar's flank.

Willowclaw squinted at the gray warrior. "That means me as well," he added. Icestar rested on his forepaws, and his fluffy tail was tossed haphazardly over Cyrith's side. "Probably you're mother too because she's awful at faking being asleep."

"I am fantastic at acting," Icestar grumbled.

Snowflight huffed, "well what am I supposed to eat then?"

"Something that isn't the rabbit your fathers have decided they want," Icestar supplied. "You know how they get when they are denied food."

"Here, you can have this. Stripefang caught it while we were out patrolling but didn't feel like plucking all the feathers off." A fat starling dropped by her paws, neck neatly snapped.

"Thanks, Sunheart!" Snowflight purred.

Sunheart flicked her head with her tail as she walked by, heading towards the fresh kill pile. "Come and join us," Willowclaw said to her.

"I was going to eat with Breezepool," Sunheart answered.

"He can join us," Cyrith offered.

Sunheart laughed as she sifted through the fresh kill pile. "Whenever he spends any time around you three you end up embarrassing him," she said, tugging a mouse out from the pile.

"We promise we won't embarrass him now bring your mate over here, I know he's listening I can see him from here," Icestar purred. "It's family time; Stormfrost, Snowflight, you get over here too."

Stormfrost groaned. "Family time is the _worst_ time. You just demand to know everything that goes on in our lives like you aren't our leader and don't already know."

"There's a difference between knowing as you leader and knowing as your mother, now _sit down_ ," Icestar ordered.

"Yes, mother," Stormfrost rolled his eyes and threw the rabbit at Willowclaw. It hit him in the face and he squawked, tail lashing Cyrith in the face.

Sunheart leaned over, peeling the rabbit off his face with a teasing grin. "You need to work on your catch a little more," she told him. "It's very bad."

"I'm hurt, Icestar, exile them both now," Willowclaw frowned.

Cyrith nipped at his ear. "Shut up and eat your rabbit."

"Do as your other mate says," Icestar waved a paw dismissively. "Family time means no exiling, we have discussed this before."

"Does it even count as family time if the other three are busy?" Snowflight asked. She'd sat down next to Stormfrost, poking him till he took her starling to pluck the feathers out.

Sunheart took a mouthful of the rabbit when Cyrith wasn't looking. "What are they doing? I know Thrushstep's still injured, but the other two?"

"Blossomfur's sleeping with her kits, and Rainleap's sorting herbs for Marah." Breezepool crouched down beside Sunheart and nuzzled her. "If any of you say anything even slightly embarrassing I'm leaving immediately."

"He knows us far too well." Cyrith shared an alarmed look with Willowclaw.

"So!" Icestar said loudly. She smiled widely at Stormfrost. "Where were you all morning, dear son?"

Stormfrost stiffened, dropping the feathers in his mouth. He sent Snowflight a look that screamed help. She merely dragged her featherless starling back and took a bite, nodding expectantly towards their mother. Looking thoroughly ruffled he spoke while staring at his paws. "WindClan."

"He was with Gullstrike." Breezepool winked at him.

Cyrith clambered over Icestar to thrust his face right into Stormfrost's. "Did he ask you? I bet he asked you. Come on, I have a bet to win here."

He opened his mouth then closed it with a frown, "what bet?"

"That doesn't matter!" Cyrith exclaimed, "did he ask you?

"Yes," Stormfrost mumbled.

A loud, victorious shout echoed from Cyrith as he whirled around to paw annoyingly at Icestar's face. His smile was so wide it looked like it might split his face in two. "You owe me two voles!"

"No, no. I only owe you two voles if Stormfrost said _yes,_ " Icestar reminded.

"Ah yes after six moons of pining after him he asked me to be his mate and I said no," Stormfrost spat. "Of course I said yes!"

Breezepool leant over and whispered not so quietly into Sunheart's ear, "how did you survive growing up with those three?"

"Surprisingly," she replied dryly, "they were a lot more serious back then."

"We are wonderful parents, and I'm very happy that Stormfrost finally has the love of his life," Willowclaw sniffed. A gust of wind picked the half eaten rabbit up and flung it into his face. " _Sunheart!_ " His cry was muffled. Beside him Cyrith stifled laughter.

She licked the side of a forepaw and dragged it over an ear. "What? That wasn't me. It was just the wind."

Giggling, Snowflight leaned her weight onto Stormfrost. "I'm glad he finally asked you," she said.

"So am I," Stormfrost sighed. "What about you? Do you have your eye on anyone?"

She cast her eyes around the camp, surrounded by thick pine forest. Owlshadow and Foxfeather were sharing tongues contently. Their kits Bumblepaw and Tigerpaw were tussling nearby. Over by the medicine den, a hollow in a fallen tree, Marah was sleeping in a patch of sunlight. The sun caught the gray streaked in her fur. Threading more brambles into the nursery to fix a leaking spot Stripefang hissed as he stepped on one. Her own apprentice, Duskpaw, looked forlornly at his playing siblings. His sprained paw would keep him away from training and playing for a few days longer. There was nothing else she wanted in life other than what she had now; a home, a family, and peace.

"No. Not yet, not ever maybe."

"Speaking of mates and happily ever afters," Icestart said slyly. Immediately Sunheart scowled at her. "When are _you two_ having kits?"

Breezepool blinked a few times, then opened and shut his mouth like a fish. At his side Sunheart's scowl deepened. "Is nothing in this Clan private?" she seethed.

"You can't tell me you don't want kits. I heard you two talking about it the other day," Cyrith purred.

"Cyrith, the great ex-Elemental, reduced to eavesdropping on private conversations," Sunheart snarked. "Whether or not we decide to have kits is none of your business."

"Don't talk to your father like that," Willowclaw scolded through a mouthful of rabbit.

Sunheart rubbed her head with a paw. "This family is mind numbing," she muttered.

"We didn't even get a 'he's not my father' this time. She's accepting us," Cyrith gushed.

"I don't know, the fact that both of you are brown and I'm golden sort of ruins that for you," Sunheart retorted with a teasing smile.

Cyrith opened his mouth to reply, face pulled into a frown, when he was interrupted. "Are we leaving for the gathering soon, Icestar?" Rainleap asked.

"Yes," she answered, "we are. How's Thrushstep?" There was genuine worry in her voice, the concern of a mother for her injured kit.

Rainleap eyed the jagged scar trailing up the back of Icestar's neck, the traces of the wound that had stripped her of her first life. "He'll be fine. If it weren't for you he'd probably be a lot worse." He met Snowflight's eyes and in them she what had happened that day; the blood, the badger, the shocked silence as their leader - their mother - had fallen still. It was not something either of them would forget easily.

"It's my duty as a leader to protect every member of this Clan." There was more to it though, unsaid words that spoke of just how many lives she'd be willing to forfeit to save her kits. "How long till he can return to warrior duties?"

"A while. We have to be sure the wound has healed completely before he does anything or it might get infected or open up even more. He is very lucky to be alive," Rainleap said solemnly.

Icestar shifted to her paws. "He's very lucky to have a medicine cat like you looking after him. Now," she said. "Everyone except Blossomfur and Stripefang get ready to leave."

"Is family time over already?" Stormfrost looked relieved. "What a shame."

"Family time is never over in this Clan," Sunheart snorted. "Quick, Breezepool, if we run quick we might be able to escape them for the walk to the Isle."

With a loud gasp Breezepool jumped to his paws. "Race you!" he shouted and took off. Sunheart bounded after him laughing high and loud, wide smile reaching into her eyes.

Snowflight watched Willowclaw's eyes follow them, a soft sort of contentment settling over his face. All the times she'd told their story she'd never been able to quiet recreate the love and affection the Chosen had for Sunheart, the daughter of their greatest enemy. It wasn't something that could be summed up in a few words. It was in the sadness and grief in their eyes when Sunheart began to wake them all with nightmares of disappearing over an edge of darkness. It was in the pure joy when Breezepool softly asked Sunheart to be his mate, and in the following nights of silence instead of screaming when they woke each morning to cast a loving smile over their brave Sunheart tucked neatly up against her mate. It was in the laughter, the worry, the quiet questions about her powers. It was in everything they did.

"You coming?" Willowclaw asked, pulling Snowflight out of her thoughts.

She looked up at him and smiled. "Yeah."

Walking through their forest felt nothing but normal. There was no underlying sense of fear towards what could be lurking in the growing shadows. Snowflight had been too young to truly understand the fear that had come with Crimson, and with the Elementals. But the stories she'd heard from other cats were enough scare her. She couldn't imagine half the things they'd been through, half the things her parents had done to save the valley. She told their story often and she suspected she'd tell it many more times in her life, but it still seemed so surreal.

From the shadows of their territory they emerged to meet WindClan by the stepping stones. It was hard to believe that there could have been a world without them, without the Clans, had the Chosen failed. Stormfrost broke away from their Clan line to meet Gullstrike in the middle, smile gentle, eyes soft. Just like that they stopped being two Clans and became one, melting with each other, friends greeting friends like borders didn't exist. They didn't really exist, not in the way they had for the ancient four.

On the Isle, in the clearing in the middle where a hill sat empty, ThunderClan and RiverClan waited. Willowclaw bounded up to his brother and the two played like kits, tussling with each other. Shiverstar picked her way through the crowd to bump heads affectionately with Icestar. At her side Arrow nipped teasingly at Sunheart's ears. Quiet Heatherstar earned a foreleg tossed over her shoulder and an excited Cyrith in her ear, no doubt gushing about Stormfrost and Gullstrike.

Though only two of the Chosen remained in the valley their powers still remained strong, though they went unnoticed by most. In the rivers the song the water played as it dragged over the pebbles was one that told a tale of loss and victory. In the wind when it howled, dragged through the trees, stories of glorious battles and those that had not made it were on its tongue. In the valley the Clans would always roam, a vitality that had and would fight against the fiercest of leaf bares. In the cats that carried their powerful blood; Swiftsong twitched an ear and her pale brown pelt shifted into one of silky silver; Alvar sighed heavily and tiny flickers of lightning gusting out with his breath. Snowflight shifted her eyes to where Rainpatch's star-flecked form sat beside his mate, unashamed love burning bright in his eyes. Their power would live on for generations until, like all things, it faded away and left the world without even the slight presence of those that had saved it.

She watched Rainpatch till another caught her eye; Eaglestrike padding slowly alongside Shiverstar one ear flicked towards her the other flicked towards Inara as she spoke about her kits. A pleased grin spanned his face. Crouched down beside a group of elders, Littleflame listened to the story they told about a brave CedarClan she-cat that had gone to save the world but never made it home. On top of the hill where only four patches of faded grass told a story about four stone thrones sat a battle scarred she-cat, her pelt a glossy sheen of black and dotted with numerous stars. Her eyes, green like fresh leaves, scanned the gathered Clans and settled on Sunheart. A beautiful smile spread across her face.

A chill gathered by her side, a feeling Snowflight had come to associate with StarClan. Glancing that way she found Eaglestrike standing by her. He twitched a black-tipped ear and took one last sweeping glance around the Isle before settling on her face.

"If anyone asks," he said, "tell them we're doing okay."

 **The End**


End file.
